Huntertime
by 9catsz
Summary: This story takes place three years after the 2003 revival of the Hunter series.  Hunter and McCall are still in San Diego, still in Robbery/Homicide, still best friends...and possibly more...


Rated MA. This story takes place three years after the 2003 revival of the Hunter series. Hunter and McCall are still in San Diego, still in Robbery/Homicide.

**Huntertime**

**Chapter 1**

San Diego P.D. 2006

Hunter was sitting at his desk at the San Diego Police Department and daydreaming. He was thumbing through papers in an attempt to look busy, but he couldn't stop thinking about the past and McCall. He let his memories wander back to the day he met her. He had to talk to her husband, Steve McCall in the middle of the night and she answered the door and she had that disheveled, just-got-out-of-bed look going on and he liked her immediately. Steve introduced them and Hunter was surprised at how smart she was. He liked smart women, especially if they were pretty to boot.

The second time he saw her was later that same night when he returned to her house to tell her that Steve had been killed.

Watching her heart break and holding her while she sobbed made him feel like his heart was being ripped from his chest. She and Steve looked very happy together and now it was all gone in a heartbeat, the second it took to squeeze a trigger, a life snuffed out and her life changed forever. At that point he wished with all his heart he could take her pain away, change what happened, and to this day he still felt the same way.

It would be five years before he saw her again. It was after she had been promoted to detective. Just thinking about that day made him grin as he got the mental picture. It was another boring briefing and Hunter was sitting in the back of the room, doodling absentmindedly on the memo the captain handed out, basically ignoring what was going on. They were introducing officers who had made detective. Then he heard the five words that would change his life . . . . Detective Sergeant McCall McCall. He snapped his head up so fast that he nearly got whiplash. That made him a little dizzy and he came close to falling out of his chair. She looked cute standing there smiling, dressed in her blues. She also looked very embarrassed. The cat calls started and Captain Cain had to yell to regain order.

Later that very day the guys started a betting pool on who was gonna bed McCall first. Hunter bucked the odds and bet that no one would bed her. They laughed him out of the locker room. Over the next several months it was comical watching each and every guy go down in flames, a different and unique tongue lashing from McCall for every guy. That's how she got pegged The Brass Cupcake. She didn't take anything off of any of them and the guys couldn't stand it. He had tried to collect on that bet and planned to use the money to take McCall out for a very expensive dinner but they never paid up.

He was thinking about the past a lot lately and he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was getting old, his hair was a lot thinner and silver now and he was feeling his age every morning when he got out of bed. Or maybe it was because he had it a lot easier now and the rough times at the L.A.P.D. had faced into the past, only distant memories now. For some strange reason he actually missed being the black sheep of the department. In the S.D.P.D. he was a respected officer, practically a legend in his own time to the much younger detectives working under him. He even had a nice ride. But back at the L.A.P.D. he had been the black sheep, a renegade who didn't follow orders, who went up against every rule they had. He bucked the system that tried to take his badge. The L.A.P.D. didn't think much more of McCall at that time either. They had shared the pain of being departmental black sheep with each other. In a way, the mutual harassment made them partners even before he concocted the plan that actually _made _them partners.

Hunter smiled to himself, even though their partnership started out as a smoke screen to blow up their captain's nose, it had turned into the best six years of his life. He had fond memories of their time at Metro homicide, memories he wouldn't trade for anything. He still couldn't believe that 22 years had passed since he got the bright idea to hunt her down and ask her to be his partner. It seemed like only yesterday. He was racking his brain trying to think of what it was she said to him when he asked her the question that changed his life. Then it came to him and his smile turned into a full-blown grin as he pictured McCall dressed as a hooker; 'You be my new partner? I've had better offers standing on the corner on Sunset Boulevard.' A little later she called it 'a marriage made in Disneyland.' Damn she could be so funny.

He thought back to all the times he'd watched her as she sashayed down the street dressed as a hooker. That gave new meaning to watching your partner's back or as he liked to think, back side. That kept the smile on his face. McCall would kill him if she knew what he was thinking.

Hookers didn't turn him on. But McCall looked good in her hooker get up. He was grinning again as he thought of her painted on clothes, tiny skirt, fishnet stockings that ended in stiletto heels. He realized he was sweating. Whoa slow down big boy or it's gonna be another cold shower for you, he told himself, all the while grinning uncontrollably at his naughty thoughts.

But now things had changed. They were in San Diego and it was almost like their time at L.A.P.D. had never happened, like it was all a movie he'd watched on T.V., like it was someone else's life and not his own. A lot had happened since then, a lot. He'd had so many partners in the years since McCall left the L.A.P.D. that he'd nearly lost count. All good officers in their own right but not one ever measured up to McCall. He'd never had that kind of a rapport with another partner again. He never thought he'd work with her again until he found out she'd moved to San Diego and started working for the S.D.P.D. in Juvie. He made the transfer to their Robbery/Homicide division, just to be closer to her. It made him feel good knowing that, even though they weren't partners, at least they worked for the same police department again and lived in the same city.

He was always trying to figure out a way to get her back into robbery/homicide but he never believed it was possible. Then she did something he thought she'd never do. She transferred to Robbery/Homicide. He couldn't believe it and was overjoyed at her decision. They have worked together for the past three years now. His being the lieutenant meant he didn't have a partner and all the sergeants worked under him, including McCall. He'd never assigned McCall a partner and he had no intention of ever doing so. No matter what it said on paper, she was his partner. He hoped she would be his last partner, his partner until he retired. That was his dream, that and seeing her in fishnet stockings again . . . Hunter smiled again. At this rate he was gonna have a cold shower tonight no matter what. And it probably wouldn't do any good. He'd taken a lot of cold showers over the years after thinking about her. Tonight wouldn't be any different.

Captain Gallardo had been watching Hunter off and on for about 30 minutes. He watched as Hunter thumbed through the same case file over and over again. He thought that Hunter appeared to be in another world and it was a little unsettling the way he kept smiling at nothing in particular. He was intrigued by what Hunter was doing, or not doing as it were, so he walked over to Hunter's desk, "Hunter."

Hunter was still envisioning McCall in fishnet stockings and didn't even notice the captain. Captain Gallardo waved his hand in front of Hunter's eyes and raised his voice. "LIEUTENANT HUNTER."

Hunter jumped and his eyes slowly focused on the captain standing at his desk, "Uh yeah?"

"Are you going home?"

Hunter was lost, "What?"

"It's 5:30 on a Friday night, why are you still here?" The captain was starting to wonder about Hunter. He'd been acting strangely for a few weeks now. Maybe Hunter was getting too old for police work. Maybe he was burned out. After all he had put in over 30 years as a police officer and could retire now if he wanted to.

Hunter started fumbling around with the folders on his desk. "Yeah, Friday, going home. I, uh, was just finishing up this paperwork and getting ready to leave." Hunter lied and hoped that excuse didn't sound as lame to the captain as it did to his own ears.

"See you Monday morning bright and early." Said the captain as he walked back into his office shaking his head.

Hunter was leaving, walking to his car, when he spied McCall walking ahead of him, going for her SUV. No matter how many years had passed, he still thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on…..and he'd laid eyes (and hands) on plenty beautiful women, but hands down, McCall was his idea of a perfect ten. He loved the way she walked. He loved the way she smelled. He loved the way she talked. He loved the way she smiled. He loved to hear her laugh. Hell he even loved the way she yelled at him when he'd done something to piss her off. He loved everything about her. He could watch her all day long with or without fishnet stockings. He chuckled under his breath at that thought knowing that she'd tell him he had a dirty mind.

"Hey McCall." Hunter said playfully as he walked up behind her.

McCall stopped and turned to him, "Whatcha need big guy?" She watched as Hunter walked up and stopped in front of her. He had a funny look on his face.

Big guy….Hunter loved it when she called him big guy. He thought to himself, 'Hmm what do I need? If she only knew what I needed.' Then he said, "Are you busy tomorrow night, Saturday night?" He asked with a hint of a smile slightly turning up the corners of his mouth.

McCall couldn't tell if Hunter was up to something or not. He had a funny look on his face and his tone of voice was different. So she decided to stall on giving him an answer to his question so she could glean more information out of him. "I know tomorrow night is Saturday night, Hunter. Why do you ask? Did your latest blonde bombshell have to cancel because of band practice and now you're in desperate need of a replacement?"

Hunter feigns a look of hurt and mimics pulling a knife from his chest and laughingly says, "You're quite the clever detective. You've got me all figured out."

"I sure do. I can tell when you're up to something, Hunter. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice." She grinned, knowing she was right.

"I guess that's why they pay you the big bucks. But is it that obvious? Am I that transparent?"

McCall laughed. "Big bucks." She laughed again and pointed a finger at him. "I know you, Hunter, remember? It's me you're talkin' to." She gave him a playful poke in the ribs. "I know you better than anyone else does."

He grabbed her hand, avoiding the rib poke and raised his eyebrows up and down at her, teasing her. "Yeah you do but you didn't answer my question."

With a look of pure innocence, McCall asked, "Which question do you want me to answer, the obvious one, the transparent one or the Saturday one?"

Hunter loved the way she could be so exasperating by answering questions with questions. "I don't think I want to hear if I'm obvious or transparent but you'll probably tell me that anyway." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

McCall laughed and pulled her hand out of his and pointed at him again. "You got that right, buddy."

He touched her chin, tilting her face up and looked into her eyes and said sweetly, "I'm asking you again. Are you busy Saturday night?"

McCall was a little confused at his actions. She wasn't sure how to take this so she used her best serious look and said, "Rick Hunter are you flirting with me? Are you asking me out on a date?"

Hunter dropped his hand from her chin. She had caught him completely off guard. He didn't know what to say and he stammered like a schoolboy, "Well. . . umm . . . I . . .a . . . it's just . . . I . . ."

McCall couldn't pass up this opportunity to tease him and her latest target had been his age and she was enjoying watching him squirm. She patted him on the arm and said, "A simple yes or no would suffice. Time's a tickin' big guy and you're not getting any younger so you'd better decide what it is you want . . . . . that is unless you've already forgotten." Her eyes were sparkling with laughter and she had a beautiful smile on her face that never failed to melt his heart.

"Cute, McCall, cute. But I been thinkin'. . . "

She grinned mischievously and interrupted him,"I hope all that thinkin' didn't tire you out. You know at your age you shouldn't be exerting yourself too much." She was enjoying this.

He could see that she was clearly having a good time at his expense. "You're a really bad girl, McCall. I think you need a spanking." She was about to make a witty retort to that when Hunter put two fingers up to her lips silencing her while eliciting a questioning look. "Let's get back to what I was trying to talk to you about. I was thinking about the times we used to get together at your house, eat take out, sip wine and watch an old black and white movie. Do you remember doing that?"

McCall's heart warmed at the flood of memories of those times raced through her brain leaving a warm and fuzzy feeling in their wake. She moved his hand from her lips and said, "Yes I remember doing that. I loved it. It's been such a long time. What's it been?" she thought for a moment as the reality of how long it has been since their last shared movie set in, "Man, has it really been nearly 20 years since we've done that?"

Hunter had already done the math during one of his daydreaming sessions. "It's been seventeen years to be exact. How about watching an old movie with me Saturday night?" And to kid her he said, "That is unless you've got some doctor, junior G-man or a lawyer wimp to entertain."

"Yeah, well. . ." McCall couldn't help giggling, "Well at least the wimps I date aren't as old as you are … daddy." She paused, tilted her head like she was thinking and said, "Or is it grandpa now?"

Hunter laughed at that and made a half hearted swipe at popping her on the rear end, "You so need that spanking right now." But she moved out of the way leaving his hand to swiping only the air.

She climbed into her SUV. "You're on partner. Saturday night you've got a date with me. Oh and save that spanking for Saturday night. My house or yours?" Her eyes were twinkling with laughter.

Hunter's response came immediately. "Your house, of course."

"I'm ready for some take out food and a movie too. What movie are you getting?"

"I'll surprise you." Hunter said knowing she hated surprises.

McCall scowled at that. "Okay, surprise me but Hunter."

"What?"

"You have to promise me one thing." She said shaking her index finger at him."

Hunter scratched his head, "Hmmm, one thing, sure, I think I can do that."

"No chili dogs." She said while scrunching up her nose.

Hunter gave her a mock hurtful look. "Now how did you guess that's what I was bringing?"

"McCall's intuition." She said with an air of authority.

"McCall's intuition? It's not woman's intuition any more? It's McCall's intuition now?"

"That's right, McCall's intuition. When it comes to you, I call it McCall's intuition." She started the SUV and shifted into drive.

"Drive carefully and I'll see ya tomorrow night at six." McCall waved at him as she drove away leaving Hunter standing there with a silly grin on his face. Suddenly he was 15 again feeling like he was about to go on his first date with a girl he had a crush on and thinking that that analogy wasn't too far off base.

As McCall was driving home she was thinking about the times they used to spend at her house. Those memories put a smile on her face. She always treasured those times with him. But what in the world would make Hunter think about it now, after all this time? She planned on finding out Saturday night. 

**Chapter 2**

Saturday morning dawned beautiful and sunny. Hunter was sitting on his deck looking at the ocean while he enjoyed his breakfast, a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. He wondered what McCall was having. Probably a calorie and fat filled 'well balanced meal' of bacon, sausage and eggs. He could hear her saying 'this is a well balanced meal' and he laughed out loud. At that moment he just had to hear her voice. He picked up the phone just as it started to ring. Hunter jumped and answered before the first ring had stopped, "Hello."

"That was quick." Came the cheery voice that he needed to hear.

He couldn't believe it. It was her. "I was just about to call you."

"Really? You were just about to call me? Why?"

Hunter felt as if he'd just been caught daydreaming about her. "Oh no, you called me. You go first."

"I was wondering what movie you're getting?" McCall asked in a really sweet tone.

"You're not gonna sweet talk any information out of me lady. How is it gonna be a surprise if I tell you?"

"Okay I'm busted. Now tell me." She said sternly.

She wasn't good at surprises. It drove her crazy and Hunter knew that. "No way, it's a surprise. If I tell you I'd have to kill you and I don't wanna do that, I heard murder is still illegal."

"Awww c'mon, you're no fun. And since when did a law stop you from doing something illegal?"

"I draw the line at murder, honey. You need to do better than that if you're gonna sweet talk the title of the movie out of me. C'mon McCall, how far are you willing to go to get an answer?"

"Are you soliciting me, Hunter?" Before he could answer she said, "Don't answer that, I don't really want to know." She tried another ploy, "Okay then how about a hint?"

"No hints, no way. Get ready for the night of your life, baby." Hunter said laughing.

"The night of my life? . . . Baby? . . . Hunter, are you flirting with me again?"

"What do you think?"

"You don't really wanna know what I'm thinking, Hunter."

"And you should want to know what I'm thinking, McCall." He was enjoying this tremendously.

"What does that mean?" She was intrigued now more than ever.

"You'll see."

"Uh okay, see you later, Hunter."

"See ya later, McCall, and wear fishnet stockings tonight, would ya?"

"Fishnet stockings?" She wished he could see her eye roll, but over the phone her tone of voice would have to suffice. "Hunter, you still have the dirtiest mind of anyone I've ever met."

"Why thank you and bye." Hunter hung up before she could retaliate.

McCall sat looking at the phone in her hand. Fishnet stockings. Had Hunter flipped his lid? He'd been acting strange for the last week, daydreaming all the time. He thought that no one noticed but she'd heard a few people comment on it and she'd certainly noticed. She wondered if the daydreaming had anything to do with his need to watch a movie with her tonight. Was he reminiscing about their time together at the L.A.P.D.? Yes, that was it, he was reliving old times. That was the only answer she could come up with.

Hunter laughed after he hung up the phone. Oh what he would have given to see the look on her face when he told her to wear fishnet stockings. That look would have been priceless. She probably would have popped him one but he figured it would've been well worth it.

McCall curled up on her couch with a book. But she kept reading the same paragraph over and over and couldn't focus on the book. Ever since Hunter brought up the past she couldn't help but do a little daydreaming herself.

She thought back to the first time she met him. It was in 1979. She and Steve were just about to make love one night when the doorbell rang. She answered the door and there he was, introducing himself to her. She looked up, up, up into his face and her first thought was, 'What a big guy'. When he asked Steve if she was always like that, McCall liked him instantly. He was funny and most importantly she noticed that he wasn't leering at her like every other man did. He was treating her like a human being, not a sex object. It made her feel good that Steve had such a nice co-worker.

Then later on that night when Hunter returned to her house to tell her that Steve had been killed, the only comfort she got was the fact that it was Hunter delivering the news and not one of the other officers, one who'd enjoyed leering at her and undressing her with their eyes. Then Hunter did something she'd never expected he would do. He sat on the couch with her and held her as she cried and he cried too! He attempted to comfort her when he was obviously hurting too. Hunter was so sweet and so compassionate that night. She'd never forgotten the gesture of kindness he had afforded her on one of the worst nights of her life.

Then when she got promoted to Detective she remembered standing in the front of the briefing room with one other officer who was also promoted. She was being leered at and one guy did a cat call and stopped when Cain shot him a dirty look. She had been so embarrassed that day. She was scanning the faces, looking for Hunter. Her eyes finally found him in the back of the room hunched over the desk with his head down. It looked like he was taking notes, as if he didn't even notice she was up there. When her name was announced and even more cat calling began and he looked up so fast from his notes he nearly fell out of his chair. Hunter looked angry, she thought. She was glad he wasn't joining in with the others. For a second she wondered what it would be like to be his partner but she had had her fill of partners. She figured that deep down he was probably just like all the other guys anyway. "Oh how wrong you were, McCall." She said aloud smiling. For once she was actually glad to be wrong and being wrong was something she loathed.

McCall looked at her watch and she realized that she had daydreamed most of the day away and she needed to get ready before Hunter arrived. She could hardly wait. She felt like it was really a date. She put her book away and went to the bathroom and started her bathwater. She climbed into the bathtub, "Calgon, take me away." She settled into the warm bubbles, laid her head back and closed her eyes and let her mind wander back to the time when she lived in Los Angeles.

She thought about the day when Hunter actually drove up to her, while she was undercover, just to ask her to be his partner. When she saw who was driving the car, she couldn't believe it. She was really annoyed at him. She'd busted her tush just to get on the inside and here he was driving right up to her and calling her over to his car. He was blowing her cover. She remembered being really pissed at him. Then when he laid out his ridiculous plan to her, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. They would be partners but only on paper. After role call, they'd go their separate ways and work their own cases. She didn't want a partner and apparently neither did he and that was the only reason she went along with it. At the time it seemed like a good plan to remain partnerless. Things didn't go as they'd planned and the captain kept trying to force them work together. But in the end it did turn out fine. Hunter wasn't like any other cop she'd ever met. Heck he wasn't like any other man she'd ever met. He was different, special. Hunter turned into not only the best partner she'd ever had but also the best friend she'd ever had. And here they were back together in San Diego over a decade later.

McCall thought about how much she loved the S.D.P.D., even before Hunter transferred here and ten times more now that she was working with him again. They treated her with respect, not as a sex object. They even treated Hunter with respect. No junk cars, no name calling, respect. She loved the way the other detectives looked up to him. It made her feel good knowing that he was getting the respect he deserved. He was the smartest, most compassionate, most honest cop she'd ever known and she wanted only the best for him.

It was because of him that she was back in robbery/homicide. It's not something that she ever told anyone about but after he transferred to robbery/homicide she decided to transfer too, to be near him again. After losing two husbands and a fiancé, Hunter was still there for her and she wanted to be closer to him. She had hoped to be partnered with him but since he had been promoted to lieutenant that wasn't possible. Hunter was now supervising all the detectives and was, in fact, her immediate superior. He'd never assigned her a partner and she'd never asked for one. She had noticed that, unless she was busy, on nearly every call Hunter went on, he chose her to go with him. That wasn't a coincidence. She knew he still considered her his partner and she liked that. She laughed at the irony of it. Back when they started out as partners they didn't want to be partners. Now that they want to be partners, they can't. A lyric from the song _Ironic_ popped into her head, _Isn't it ironic, dontcha think_? _A little too ironic, yeah I really do think._

McCall realized that she was cold. Her bathwater was cold and her bubbles were all but gone. How long had she been in the tub? She jumped out of the tub throwing her robe on and went into the bedroom. When she saw the clock on the nightstand, she nearly died. It read 5:45. She barely had time to put her make up on, no time to do her hair or pick out what she was going to wear. "Oh man, McCall, you blew it." She said aloud and then the doorbell rang. McCall jumped and threw her hands up in the air. She had forgotten that Hunter was very punctual, heck he was usually early for everything. And he was early tonight. Now she had to answer the door in her bathrobe. She sighed knowing he'd get a kick out of this.

**Chapter 3**

Just for old time's sake, McCall walked up to the door and said, "Who is it?"

"Mel Gibson" came the reply from the other side of the door.

Good one, McCall thought. "He's Australian and I'm not detecting an Aussie accent."

"Okay then." A pause as Hunter dreamed up another lie. "Pizza delivery boy."

"I didn't order pizza."

Hunter had his hands full trying to balance three sacks of food and was about to drop one sack and he was getting a little annoyed. "Okay McCall, are we gonna play 20 questions or are you gonna let me in?"

The lock clicks open and McCall opens the door and sees that Hunter is about to drop some of the Chinese food he's holding. She takes the smallest sack, "Here let me help you with that."

He couldn't believe she took the smallest sack which wasn't even the one he was about to drop. He looked at her in disbelief. "Don't overextend yourself there, McCall. Wouldn't want you to break a nail or something."

"I had to shut the door." She said in her defense. Smiling sweetly at him as she put the sack on the kitchen table. "I'm glad you brought Chinese. I love Chinese."

"I know." Hunter added all his stuff to the table too. McCall picked up the DVD but before she could turn it over and read the title Hunter grabbed it out of her hand leaving her with a look of surprise on her face.

"Hey what're you doin'?" McCall said surprised at how quick he snatched the DVD out of her hand.

"Oh no you don't." He said as he held the DVD over his head touching the ceiling, well out of her reach.

She was holding her right hand over her head, standing on her tiptoes, looking up at the DVD, trying in vain to reach it. "Let me see it." She whined.

He was enjoying watching her stand on her tip toes trying to reach it. Her body was brushing lightly up against his. "Uh uh, it's still a surprise." He could smell her freshly washed hair which was still damp and her perfume. He loved the way she smelled. Then he got a wicked glint in his eye and said, "Do you really want to see it now?"

"Yes I do."

"First you let me see what's under your robe and then I'll let you see the DVD."

She slapped him playfully on the chest. "Fat chance of that big guy." She gave up on seeing the title to the DVD. He put it on top of the refrigerator. She'd have to get a stool to reach it now and he'd never let her do that. So she let him win this one.

"McCall, I'm feeling a tad overdressed here or should I just say, ummmm, dressed." He was grinning at her.

McCall squinted her eyes at him. "You're early, Hunter, that's why I'm not dressed yet. Just give me a few minutes and I'll go put something on."

"Do you have to? I like what you're wearing right now."

McCall smirked at him, turned and went into her bedroom and shut the door.

Hunter took this opportunity to hide the DVD to ensure it remained a surprise. He started looking through her cabinets for wine glasses. He used to know where she kept everything when they lived in Los Angeles. But they'd grown so far apart and he'd only been to her house a handful of times since he moved to San Diego. He gave up trying to find wine glasses and got two coffee cups instead. She had already laid out the corkscrew and he used it to open the wine. He poured himself some wine in the coffee cup. He poured one for McCall too. He was sipping his wine and still going through her cabinets, found the plates, got two out and put them on the table. Then he started hunting for silverware, found it and laid two forks out. He unpacked the food, arranging it neatly on the table. He found a couple of candles and lit them and put them on the coffee table.

He checked her refrigerator just to see if she'd changed and actually bought food now. What he saw confirmed that, at least with regards to food, McCall hadn't changed at all. The milk was a day past its expiration date. There was a container of leftover mystery meat and some orange juice. He checked her freezer and there were a few TV dinners and some ice cream. He closed the freezer just as he heard her bedroom door open.

McCall emerged from her bedroom dressed in white sweat pants, a red tee shirt and bare feet. Her hair was still damp and flowing around her shoulders.

"Do you want some wine?" Hunter asked her.

"Sure." She replied. He handed her the cup of wine he'd poured earlier. She took the cup looking at it with a questioning look on her face, took a sip and said, "I do have wine glasses, ya know?"

"Yeah? Well I couldn't find them. These cups'll do won't they?"

"Yeah I guess." She took another drink and showed him where she kept the wine glasses. "I see you found the plates and silverware. Let's eat, I'm starved."

"Okay, I'm hungry too."

They both proceeded to fill their plates with food. McCall's plate was heaped with twice as much food as Hunter's and he had to comment on that. "I can't believe you're gonna eat all of that. After all of these years of eating like that, you'd think you'd be as big as the Goodyear blimp."

"If you haven't noticed, Hunter, I have gained weight. I'd never fit into any of those hooker outfits I used to wear." She turned and went to the couch and sat down and started to eat.

Just the thought of her in one of her hooker outfits made Hunter all tingly inside. He joined her on the couch. "You're not fat at all, McCall. You simply grew up. You filled out in all the right places and I think you look much better now than you did then."

She scrunched her nose up at him and had a look of disbelief on her face. "Oh you're just saying that to try to make me feel better about gaining weight."

"No seriously, McCall, I really do think you look better now than you did when you were pushin' 100 pounds. And we all know that I'm an authority on women's bodies. You couldn't have put on very much weight anyway."

"An authority on women's bodies?" McCall laughed. "Since when?"

"Since always." He touched her arm to get her to look at him and said. "Look at me. I'm sincere when I say that you look gorgeous. I would NOT lie to you." He said with an emphasis on the not.

She put her hand on his. "Oh you. You always know what to say to make me feel good, don't ya?"

"It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it." He smiled at her.

"Have you tried the orange chicken? It's the best I've ever had." McCall said as she took a bite, closing her eyes, savoring the taste.

"I thought orange chicken was your favorite, and I'm guessing I got it right."

"You get an A, Hunter. Maybe you're mind isn't going after all." She said smiling at him. "Okay where's the movie? Aren't we gonna watch it while we eat?"

"Let's talk for a little bit before we watch the movie. We hardly ever just sit and talk."

"If that's what you wanna do, then we talk. What do you wanna talk about?" McCall had a puzzled look on her face. She was trying to figure out where Hunter was going with this.

"I've been thinking about the past a lot lately." He said in a serious tone of voice.

"I've noticed that you've been doing a lot of daydreaming while you're at your desk at work. Could this little talk have anything to do with that?" 

"No way. You didn't notice that." Hunter got up to get the bottle of wine they'd left in the kitchen.

"Oh yeah I did and so did half the office." She watched as he returned with the bottle.

He poured himself a little bit more wine. "Oh man was it that obvious?"

"Sure was big guy. Now we're back to the obvious question again?"

Hunter held the bottle of wine up to her and gave her a questioning look with his eyes. McCall held her cup out, "I'm empty here." She said. He filled it up and put the bottle on the coffee table.

"Ha, ha. You know you can be like a bloodhound sometimes."

"A bloodhound? That doesn't seem like a very nice analogy Hunter." She took a large drink of her wine.

"Yeah well when you get on a scent, you just can't get off it. And I didn't mean bloodhound as in the other word for female dog, if you know what I mean." Hunter laughed as he said that. "So I guess you can read my mind now?" He said challenging her.

"When it comes to you, yes. I used to be able to tell what you were thinking just by the look on your face or even the look in your eyes. But I'm a little rusty now. I'm gonna have to practice up a little bit."

"Okay what am I thinking right now?" He asked her playfully.

"Ummm, gimme a hint."

"No way, you need lots of practice. You are so rusty."

"So what were you thinking? She asked.

"I was thinking of fishnet stockings." He laughed.

She took a drink of her wine, "Fishnet stockings. You are hung up on those, aren't you?"

"Yeah I guess." He said sheepishly.

McCall topped her cup off again.

"Maybe you should go easy on the vino 'lil chica." He said to her with concern in his voice. "What's that make now? Three or four cups, not dainty little wine glasses mind you, but coffee cups of wine in the past half hour?"

McCall had a nice, warm glow going on and she was feeling good. "For your information, Mr. Po - leece. . . man, I've been of legal age since my last birthday." She nodded her head once at him for emphasis.

"Since your last birthday, huh? Yeah, right. Just as long as you realize how much you've drank. There'll be no driving tonight for you, young lady." He said shaking his finger at her.

"Since I'm already home I wouldn't worry about me driving." She shot him an evil grin and said, "Gramps."

She was starting to slur her speech, Hunter was sure of it. He silently hoped she was a 'happy drunk' and not a 'crying drunk' or a 'loud and obnoxious drunk'. It was then he realized that he'd never, ever seen her drunk. This was going to be a new experience.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and then McCall said playfully, "You wanna hear a secret?"

"Mmmm hmmm," Hunter said in anticipation. "Any secret you've got to tell I'm ready to hear."

"I had a name I used to call those nights we spent together eating take out, talking and watching old movies."

"A name?" Hunter was intrigued.

"I called it my Huntertime." McCall ate the last bit of food on her plate and sat it on the coffee table. She downed the last of her wine too. She got the bottle and filled her cup again.

"Huntertime, huh? That sounds like a beer commercial." He said laughing. Then he deadpanned in a deep announcer-type voice, "Huntertime, It's just what you need after a hard day at work."

"Funny big guy, really funny." McCall laughed at his poor impression of a commercial. She turned sideways on the couch so she could face him, tucked her left leg under her and leaned back on the arm of the couch. Still sipping her wine.

"How in the world did you dream up something like that?" Hunter asked grinning lopsidedly at her. He finished up the last of his food and put his plate beside hers on the coffee table. He leaned back on the couch with his arms stretched out to either side of him.

"Because that's what it was to me. It was my time alone with you, _my _Hunter time. It was when you focused all your attention on me, and, well, the food and wine and movie too but mainly on me. I don't know if I've ever told you this but you're a very good listener and that's what I needed from you at that point in my life. I could lean on you and you didn't ridicule me or talk down to me or treat me like I'm just another sex object. You just let me be me. And you could always make me laugh. I like that about you, Hunter. And I like to laugh."

Hunter was amused. He just sat there on the couch watching her ramble, slurring her words and gesturing with her hands. Huntertime he thought. It did have a nice ring to it. "I just wish I'd have been there for you instead of arguing with you during our last year together. We had stopped doing this months before our arguments started."

"Hey it's not your fault, don't worry about it. I mean we're both still alive and kicking and still best friends. Everything turned out okay, didn't it?"

"I guess it did after all. You got any more secrets you wanna share? I really like hearing your secrets."

"No more of my secrets. I've talked your ear off. You've hardly been able to get in a word. I told you one of my secrets and now I wanna hear one of your secrets."

Uh oh, thought Hunter, I don't even wanna go there. "I don't have any secrets to tell."

"Don't feed me that line. You have secrets. Everybody has secrets." She was staring directly into his eyes and said, "Tell me something that you've been afraid to tell anyone." His immediate reaction and the 'deer caught in the headlights' look in his eyes gave her the answer. She knew that he had a secret to tell and she was going to pry it out of him if it took her all night.

"Really I don't have any secrets." He looked away from her, looking anywhere but in her eyes.

She decided to drop it for now and said, "Okay then what is your worst pet peeve?"

"My worst pet peeve? Hmmm let's see. I really can't stand it when I'm on a case and I overlook an obvious clue, or the answer is staring me right in the face but I totally miss it."

"Geez that was lame, Hunter." McCall said laughing. "I tell you something juicy and all you can come up with is that? Lame, really lame."

"I'm shallow, what can I say?" He formed a plan to get her back to talking and maybe she'd forget about asking him about his secret. "I told you my pet peeve now what's yours?"

McCall got a serious look on her face. "I can't stand it when people lie to me." Then McCall pointed to her heart and said, "It really gets me here when someone lies to me."

"Roger lied to you." Hunter blurted out. He couldn't believe he'd just said that. He waited a few seconds, to gauge her reaction to make sure he hadn't made her mad, before he continued. She just sat there staring at him with a questioning look, so he continued in the most neutral, caring tone he could muster. "Would you have married Roger knowing that he lied to you?"

McCall turned and put her feet on the floor, leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands for a few seconds.

Hunter wondered if she was getting sick after all the wine she'd drank. He was immediately concerned for her and was about to ask her if she felt alright when she turned to him and said, "You sure don't beat around the bush do you?"

Ahhh the old answering a question with a question trick. She was good at that. "Nah, people been telling me I'm gettin' too old to be doin' that." Hunter scooted over next to her on the couch and touched her arm. "You know you do have the right to remain silent. You don't have to answer my prying questions if you don't want to."

She looked at him and said, "I know, thanks. But I think I'll answer you anyway. I've never talked to anyone about Roger and I think it might do me some good." She leaned back on the couch, tucked her feet up under her and pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and covered her legs with it. She held one end of the afghan up and motioned for him to scoot closer to her and share the afghan. He did so and put his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest.

"All comfy now?" He asked her smiling.

"Yeah I'm comfy now." She was fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. "You know Roger's death saved me from having to make that decision. Before I found out he'd lied to me, I was the happiest person in the world. But after I found out he'd been lying to me, that he didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth, I knew that I'd never be able to fully trust him again. I knew that every time something happened, I'd doubt him. Now don't get me wrong. I think what he did was a noble gesture and he was protecting many people, but I just wish he could have trusted me enough to tell me the truth. I was having second thoughts about marrying him. He lied so well that it scared me. It hurt me deeply. He couldn't trust me with the truth until it was forced out of him. I can't be in a relationship if I don't trust the other person completely, trust that person with my life. I just can't."

Hunter decided she was a 'talkative drunk' so he thought he'd see if he could pry a little more information out of her. "McCall do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if Alex Turnin hadn't come back into your life?"

McCall sat there for a minute, silent.

"Hey, did you hear me?" He said with concern gently shaking her arm.

"Yeah I heard you." She was still playing with the buttons on his shirt with her right hand. She took a deep breath and began speaking very slowly as if she was having trouble choosing her words. "I've thought about that a lot. At that point in my life I was really burned out working homicide. I'd gotten so tired of all the death. Every other day there was another senseless killing. Sometimes it was the bad guys doing the killing and sometimes it was us doing it. It was starting to take over my life. I felt like I didn't have a life. No husband, no kids, no family, going home to an empty house every night. I felt like I was married to that damn job. I came close to hitting the wall and I was scared of it. At times it felt like I'd spun out and the rest of the field was bearing down on me ready to run me over. It was starting to overwhelm me." She snuggled even closer to him. She was still fiddling absentmindedly with the buttons on his shirt.

She continued. "And then Alex showed up. He was like a breath of fresh air for me. We talked about non-police things and when I was with him it was like I was in another world. Then when he confronted me at the hospital, after I hurt my arm, I started to see my job from his perspective, a non-cop perspective. He asked me to give up my job and move to England with him. I told him that I couldn't give up my job, my life here. He said I'd only be giving up the possibility of being killed. That comment and the fact that we were working on a case where a cop had been killed made me rethink my entire life. That coupled with the fact that you and I had fought more that year than in all the years we'd been partners not to mention that I desperately needed a break made me decide to marry Alex and move to England."

Hunter had a look of concern on his face. He put his left index finger on her chin and tilted her head up until their eyes met. "You never told me you were close to hittin' the wall, McCall. I know we were fighting a lot and I was really hard on you at times. I sensed that there was something going on with you. I'm sorry that I never asked you about that. I feel like it's partly my fault." He dropped his hand and covered her hand, the one that was fiddling with his buttons. He squeezed her hand gently.

"No, it's not your fault. It was me. I felt like the job was strangling me. I didn't tell you how I felt because I didn't know how to bring it up. I didn't want to fight with you any more. I just wasn't up to it." McCall closed her eyes, taking in his scent. He smelled so good. It felt good to be in his arms. "Did you know it took me five days to say yes when Alex proposed to me?"

"I didn't know that." Hunter exclaimed with a look of astonishment. He'd always pictured Alex proposing and McCall saying yes almost before Alex got the question out. "Why so long? I thought you loved Alex."

"I did love Alex with all my heart. But there was someone else on my mind. Someone else I cared for. Heck even Alex noticed that. He asked me to be his wife in Charlie's office one afternoon. I told him that was a big step and I had to think about it. Five days later he told me I owed him an answer. That's when I said yes. Then I waited another week before I told you. Alex kept asking me if I'd told you yet. He sensed there was more between us than only being partners and best friends. I guess he was right. Alex never did understand our relationship. Heck I don't even understand what we had." Her voice trailed off and almost as an afterthought she continued…. "And apparently still have.

Did you know that Alex was jealous of you? I think he thought I was just gonna forget you when I moved to England. Our only fights were about you. And then when he was killed in a car accident only 14 months after we'd gotten married you were the first person I called. I was lost. I missed California so much and I missed you. I couldn't wait to get back here." McCall's eyes were misty and she took her hand out of his and wiped at them.

"Someone else on your mind, huh? Who was it?"

"I think you already know who it is. We have something special, Hunter, a bond like no other. I've never had that with any other person, ever. I trust you completely."

Hunter was taken aback. She was revealing herself like she'd never done before. "Not even with Steve?"

"Now don't get me wrong here. I loved Steven with all my heart and if he hadn't been killed I'd still be married to him and you and I wouldn't be having this conversation. But that was a lifetime ago, Hunter. I was fresh out of the academy. Steven and I had been married only six months when he was killed. We weren't together long enough for me know if I had that kind of bond with him. I used to be so naïve. I've changed a lot and grown up so much since then."

"You sure have grown up." He kidded her, kissing her on top of her head.

"Okay now I want to hear your secret." She said as she pulled back from his chest and looked him in his eyes.

I told you I don't have any secrets." He said trying to avoid her eyes.

"Your mouth says you don't but your eyes say you do and they don't lie. So out with it, mister." She popped him gently on the chest.

"So you busted me. Okay here goes. Do you remember when you told me that Alex asked you to marry him?"

'Yeah. You asked me what my answer was and I told you I said yes. And you didn't say anything else."

"That's because I couldn't say anything else. It was at that point I realized I was going to lose you and I froze up. I actually didn't know what to do so I did the only thing I could think of at the moment and that was nothing." Hunter was serious now. "I've thought about it a lot and if I had a chance to go back and do it all again, I'd do a lot of things differently that's for sure."

McCall couldn't believe her ears. She stammered. "I . . I thought you were happy for me."

"I was happy for you. All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy and if getting married and moving to England was gonna make you happy then I wasn't gonna to try to stop you. But no, it certainly didn't make me happy."

"So you were happy for me but you weren't happy for you? I'm confused here."

"Don't you see it, McCall. It took a lot out of me to let you go like that. It hurt like hell."

"Let me go? What are you talking about?"

Hunter continued in the serious tone of voice. "Please don't laugh when I tell you this. It would kill me."

"Oh Hunter. I'd never laugh at you, only with you." She touched his face gently.

Hunter was divided. One part of him wanted to blurt out how much he loved her yet the other side was afraid she'd reject him. He decided to bite the bullet realizing how silly keeping this inside for over 20 years was and he looked into her eyes and said. "I love you, McCall McCall. I've loved you since the first time I met you."

McCall sat up on the couch. "You love me, huh?"

Hunter swallowed hard and said, "Yep, that's my deep, dark secret."

McCall had a hurt look on her face. She started talking very fast, slurring her words and gesturing wildly with her hands. "Then why didn't you tell me that when we talked with the police shrink? Why didn't you tell me that when I told you Alex proposed? Why didn't you tell me that when I told you I accepted Alex's proposal? Why didn't you tell me that when we said goodbye in Charlie's office? Why didn't you tell me that after Roger died? Why didn't you tell me that, Hunter, why?" She was about to cry.

He'd hurt her. He hated himself for that, but there was no going back. "I didn't tell you because of your no cop rule, that and the fact that you seemed so happy with Alex and then with Roger. I didn't think I could give you what you'd always wanted. . . a home and children. Alex and Roger both could give you that and they both had nice, fat bank accounts too. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, McCall, no matter what it took."

"I just wish you'd have said something to me about it. I'd have liked to have had a chance to decide if I wanted to be with you but you took away that chance by keeping your feelings to yourself, by not telling me how you felt." A tear slipped out of her right eye and ran down her cheek.

Hunter wiped the tear away. He couldn't stand it when she cried. "Don't make me out to be the heavy here. I couldn't tell how you felt about me either, ya know. And I was scared to tell you how I felt. I was afraid you'd be mad if I revealed my feelings for you. I was afraid you'd end our partnership and that would've killed me. I figured that having you as a friend was as close as I was gonna get to you and I treasured that. I didn't wanna lose that. If that's all I could have with you, then I was content on keeping our relationship platonic. I was also afraid you'd laugh at me or just simply blow me off so I kept silent. The day I shot my mouth off to Alex he told me he loved you and I told him that I loved you too. I wish I'd have told you and not him." Hunter looked deflated after bearing his soul to her.

"So Alex knew you loved me? Well that certainly explains a lot, a lot. It's too bad you didn't bother to tell me." McCall was mad, not mad at Hunter but mad at herself. He was right. She should have told him how she felt back then.

"Don't you think there isn't a day since then that I haven't regretted my silence? It's something I've had to live with all these years. I'm telling you now. You'll never know how sorry I am that I didn't tell you then. But I loved you enough to let you go, McCall, to let you get on with the life you told me you dreamed of. I hope you can see how big that sacrifice was for me."

In a sad voice that made Hunter's heart cry for her, McCall said, "But I never did get the life I'd always dreamed of, Hunter. People don't always get what they want in life, do they?" The tears in her eyes were threatening to spill over.

"No they don't, McCall, no they don't. Please don't start crying. I can't handle it when you cry."

"Hunter, can I let you in on another secret of mine?"

"Go for it. But I bet you'll never top my secret." He pinched her chin gently, teasing her, trying his best to cheer her up and lighten the mood a little bit.

"I love you too, Rick. At first I used to think of you as my best friend but over time, after getting to know you better, my feelings for you changed and I realized that I was in love with you."

Hunter was speechless. The words he'd always dreamed of hearing McCall say were actually coming from her mouth. And he couldn't believe he'd heard them. He was hoping she wasn't just saying that because she was obviously drunk. "Ah, what did you say?"

She playfully smacked him on the arm. She was talking very slow and deliberate now, having to concentrate on getting the words out correctly. "You heard me right. I love you too. That's why it took me so long to say yes to Alex. I was hoping you'd tell me that you loved me and ask me not to marry him and then sweep me off my feet."

"But I didn't do that, did I? God how I regret that. I wish I would have spoken up. But here we are, together again, older and hopefully wiser but now all the cards are laid out before us."

She had to laugh at the twist her life was taking. "Hunter, we have spent half our lives denying our love for each other. I think we're getting a second chance here. How 'bout we do it different this time?" 

"Different as in not screw it up this time around? That sounds like a good plan. Where do we go from here?"

"Well I don't know 'bout you but I'm tired of being alone. I'm tired of sleeping alone. I'm tired of waking up alone. I've spent most of my life alone. I love you, Rick Hunter, why don't we just shack up together for awhile and see what happens?" McCall said in a very slurred but seductive voice.

"Mmmm I'd love to do that. I'm tired of being alone too."

McCall leaned forward and picked up the wine bottle and her cup. She offered Hunter some wine which he declined.

He snatched the cup and bottle out of her hands. "I don't think you need any more vino either little chica." Then he realized that the bottle was empty. "This bottle is empty! You drank nearly all of it!"

"I told ya grampa, I'm legal now. I can do these things if'n I want to." She leaned back on the couch and he put his arm around her again. She rested her head on his chest and started fiddling with the buttons on his shirt again. Her eyelids felt like lead and she could barely stay awake but she didn't want this night to end.

Hunter could tell that she was fighting sleep. He gently ran his hand up and down her arm and kissed her head. He felt her body slowly relax as she lost the battle with sleep. He gently picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He put her down on one side of the bed and turned down the covers on the other. He gently laid her on that side and covered her up. He took off his shirt and lay down beside her. He fell asleep while watching her sleep.

**Chapter 4**

McCall woke up first the next morning. She was surprised to find herself in bed partially laying on top of Hunter. He was shirtless and she liked what she saw so she just lay there feeling his heartbeat against her cheek. Their legs were entangled and she was afraid that if she moved she'd wake him up so she just enjoyed laying on him and watching him sleep. In sleep he looked so innocent. She had forgotten how cute he was when he slept. She thought about last night. Did Hunter really say he loved her? Did she really reveal her love for him? God she hoped it wasn't a dream.

Hunter opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. "Well good morning sleepyhead."

"Sleepyhead? Look who's talking. Good morning to you too. And ummm how did I end up in bed?"

"Well you were drunk, a very cute drunk I might add, and you nodded off on the couch. Seeing as your couch is too small for both of us to sleep on, I carried you in here and put you to bed." He was running his hands up and down her back and she appeared to be enjoying it.

"Ugh, I barely remember last night. Did you take my pants off?"

Hunter grinned mischievously. "I wish but no you did that in the middle of the night. You mumbled something about being hot and that you didn't like to sleep with pants on. Then you got up and took them off."

"Oh and I guess you watched?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"Of course I watched. You put on quite a show and at one point I thought I was gonna have to help you but you managed to get the job done. I may be old, McCall, but I sure as heck ain't dead."

"My God, I don't remember doing that. I'm so embarrassed." She covered her eyes with her hand as she felt a blush spread out across her cheeks.

"Don't be. I enjoyed it tremendously and it's a memory I'll treasure forever." He smiled wickedly.

She popped him lightly on his bare chest for that comment. Then in a more serious tone she said. "Was last night a dream or did we really say it? Did we really say we loved each other?" She leaned down and brushed his lips with hers giving him a light kiss.

Hunter kissed her back and ran his fingers through her hair. "Yeah we did that. There is something we forgot to do, though."

McCall blushed again assuming that he meant make love, "Ummm forgot to do what?"

"McCall you're blushing. What do you think I was talking about?" Hunter teased. He'd only seen her blush a few times the entire time he'd known her and he thought it was sexy.

"Well. . . I . . . um . . . thought you were referring to sex." She stammered.

"And you say I have the dirtiest mind of anyone you'd ever met. For your information what we forgot to do was watch the movie. But I'm game for a roll in the hay if you want." He was laughing at his own wit.

"The movie." She sighed. "Oh yeah, I forgot all about the movie." McCall was still blushing. She rolled off of Hunter onto her back with her hands behind her head. "Hunter you are such a gentleman."

"What are you talking about?" Hunter rolled on his left side facing her, propping his head up with his hand.

"Last night. I was drunk and I would have went along with anything you suggested, anything. You could have easily gotten me to make love with you but I don't remember you even trying."

Hunter was a little ticked and he tried not to let it show, trying to keep his tone of voice neutral. "McCall I'll never, ever take advantage of you. Hell I'd never do that to any woman. You know me. You know I'd never do something like that. Why would you even think I'd do that?"

He was angry, she could hear it in his voice. She closed her eyes and said quietly, "I don't know. I guess because it happened to me on my last date and I haven't been out on a date since."

His voice was full of concern now. "Whoa, hold the phone, Margaret. What, are you saying here? You got drunk on your last date and you slept with the guy?"

"Mmm hmm that's what I'm saying. I felt so ashamed when I woke up the next morning and realized what I'd done. I couldn't get out of there fast enough." She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, not wanting to make eye contact with him after making that kind of a revelation. "I've never told anyone about it."

With veins popping in his neck Hunter asked, "Who was the jerk, McCall? I'll pound some sense into his head that's for sure."

"Oh no, I'm not telling. You'll just do something you'll regret. It was as much my fault as it was his. Ummm I didn't exactly say no to him ya know?"

"McCall listen to me here. It was not your fault. He had to know you were drunk and that alcohol reduces people's inhibitions. He had to know what he was doing. In a way you are still that naive little girl, you know? You still believe that most people are good inside, especially men who are nice to you. Why in the world did you let him get so close to you?"

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted some TLC, that's all. I was lonely. I needed someone to hold me and listen to me. . . . I wanted someone to be with, to talk to. I never intended on sleeping with the guy. I really don't know how it happened."

"I know exactly how it happened." Hunter said matter-of-factly.

"You do?" She turned to him with a questioning look on her face.

"Yeah, I do. You don't remember taking your pants off last night and it took you at least two full minutes to do it because you were so drunk. That guy knew you were drunk and that you probably wouldn't remember what happened in the morning. He took advantage of you, McCall. What he did was despicable." Hunter was racking his brain trying to remember who she'd last dated. He was gonna rip the guy's head off, that's for sure. He couldn't remember her mentioning going on any dates for the past few months. "How long ago did that happen?"

"It was a little over a year ago." She said sheepishly.

"Over a year ago! You've been celibate for more than a year? That's some dry spell you got going."

"Yeah well after sleeping with a guy I'd never have slept with if I wasn't dead drunk, I didn't trust myself, or any other guy, any more. I've been alone for a long time and I decided that being alone was better than what I felt I was turning into . . . a desperate old lady, desperate for love and companionship anywhere, any way I could get it."

Hunter's tone softened and he became very concerned. "God McCall, you must have been hurting. Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"I guess the same reason you didn't say anything to me when I told you I was gonna marry Alex. Fear. I was afraid. . . . I was afraid of what you'd think of me."

"There is nothing in the world you could do that would make me think badly of you, nothing. I want you to know that right now." Hunter scratched his head, deep in thought. "You know we are our own worst enemies."

"We sure are, aren't we?" McCall said smiling at him. "So do you think I'm a tramp?"

"Hell no, you're not a tramp."

"Then you'll still have me?" She said batting her eyes at him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Name the place and time, lady." He grinned.

McCall looked at the clock on her nightstand, "How 'bout right here at Nine thirty five a.m.?"

"Ummm it's nine thirty five a.m. right now." Hunter said as he traced her jawline with his finger and she closed her eyes and shuddered. His touch felt so good. He put his hand gently on her stomach and she put her hand over his. He leaned over and kissed her. She had dreamed of this ever since the first time they made love and now it was actually going to happen again.

**Chapter 5**

McCall awoke to the smell of bacon frying. The clock on the nightstand said 6:03. Was it 6 a.m. Monday morning or 6 p.m. Sunday night? She'd lost track of time and really couldn't tell how long they'd been in bed. It was still light outside but at this time of year it looks like this at both 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. She figured it had to be Sunday night or Hunter would be rousting her out of bed so she could get ready for work. Why he was frying bacon, she had no idea. She'd find out soon enough, though.

She got up and made some bath water. She climbed in the tub and settled in the warm water and laid her head back and went over the events of the past day in her mind. Hunter didn't even flinch when she told him about sleeping with that guy when she was drunk. She thought he'd be mad at her but he wasn't. Hunter loved her. She had always wondered if he loved her but she never was 100% sure. She thought he loved her back before Alex showed up. That's why she was always so on edge. She kept wanting him to make a move, tell her how he felt but he never did. Not knowing how he felt made her crazy and snappy. Why in the hell didn't I just ask him? Why didn't I just tell him how I felt? They'd wasted so much time, spent so much time dating other people when all they ever wanted was each other. Now she knew that he felt the same for her as she felt for him and she'd be damned if she was gonna let him get away this time.

Hunter had finished making breakfast and went in to wake McCall up. The bed was empty and she'd left the door to the bathroom open so he strolled on in. She was leaned back in the tub, eyes closed, with bubbles all around her. Her hair was up. She looked beautiful. "You look nice in bubbles." He said, glad they didn't have guns trained on each other this time.

McCall jumped opening her eyes. "I do, huh? Then why don't you join me so I can see if you look nice in bubbles too?"

The look on his face told her that he was considering it. "I would but our breakfast is getting cold."

"Breakfast? Is it Sunday night or Monday morning?"

"McCall, have you been tipping the bottle again?" He said while mimicking drinking with his hand.

"No." She giggled. "We spent so much time in bed that I can't tell if it's Sunday night or Monday morning. I've lost all track of time."

"FYI it's Sunday night."

"Then why are you making breakfast?"

"Well let's see. After what we did multiple times all day today, I was starving. We didn't put the leftover Chinese away last night and I had to throw it out. And since you don't have anything edible in your fridge, I had to go out and buy food. Since the only meal I know how to make is breakfast, breakfast is what we're having. Haven't you ever had breakfast for supper?"

"Ummm no."

"Well you are tonight, kiddo." He teased. "Now c'mon out of that water before you get all wrinkly." He handed her a washcloth to see if she remembered him doing it before.

McCall took it and stood up, smirking at him the whole time. "You really are funny, big guy. I wonder if you would've had this same look on your face if I'd have done this the first time you handed me a washcloth instead of a towel?"

Hunter let his eyes roam up and down her body and then gazed into her eyes. "Hmmm there's no telling what I might have done but after the chilly vibes you were giving off that entire week I probably would have collapsed right there."

She reached for a real towel and put it around her. "Chilly vibes? What are you talking about?" She walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Hunter followed her, admiring her legs. "You don't remember? Every time I asked you a question you tried to turn it around and make it like I was coming on to you. I can't believe you don't remember that." The disbelief showing all over his face.

"Oh man I had completely forgotten about that." She chuckled. "I was so sick of all the men hitting on me and I assumed you were gonna do the same, you know, so you could win that silly bet that was going on at the precinct."

"I didn't know you knew about that bet." Hunter had a look of astonishment on his face. He had no idea she knew about that. She'd never mentioned it, not once. But she knew.

"I'm a detective, remember? Of course I knew about that bet." She rolled her eyes. "Everybody knew about that bet. Nobody won, did they?"

"Then you know that's why they started calling you the Brass Cupcake?"

"Yeah, I know." She smiled.

With a smug look on his face Hunter announced, "I actually won that bet but they never paid up."

"Hey our romp in the hay three years after it was made didn't count."

"I'm not talking about that. I bet that nobody would bed you and I was right. Those guys laughed me out of the locker room when I bet that."

She turned to him. "You are still able to surprise me, Hunter. I always assumed you went along with the other guys on that one." She was picking through her lingerie drawer. McCall motioned for him to leave the room. "We can continue this conversation later. I need to get dressed so do you mind?"

"McCall McCall. After what we did multiple times today you're too shy to let me watch you get dressed?"

"Yes now beat it." She was pushing him towards the door with little effect. Pushing him was like pushing a tree, he didn't budge.

"Oh come on now. I've kissed every inch of that body. Can't I just watch you get dressed? Huh? C'mon give a guy a break here."

"Sheesh there you go again with that dirty mind. I'm gonna break your head if you don't leave." She said laughing and still pushing on him.

"Oh alright, I'm going." He said as he left, deliberately leaving the door open.

McCall shut the door smiling to herself. She loved being with him and wondered how she'd made it all these years without him.

Hunter set the table and was helping himself to some food when McCall emerged from the bedroom. She had on jeans shorts and a tank top. Her hair was still pinned on top of her head. Hunter looked up from his plate. "I hope you don't mind but I started without you. I was starving."

"I'm starving too. We haven't ate anything since last night." She said grinning thinking of the reason why they hadn't ate anything.

"Well we were too busy to eat." He said smiling back at her thinking the same thoughts she was thinking.

"We sure were." She said returning his smile.

They finished eating in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. McCall broke the silence and said, "Since you were nice enough to cook, I'll do the dishes."

"Hey great, last night's dishes are there too."

"Naturally." She said with a roll of her eyes.

Hunter helped her clear the plates and put them in the sink. She started washing the dishes. Hunter walked up behind her and put his body against hers and snaked his hands around her waist and started kissing the back of her neck very lightly.

"I'm not going to be able to get these done if you keep doing that."

"Doing what?" Hunter said feigning innocence.

"Don't pretend to be innocent. You are not innocent."

"What am I doing? I'm just standing here watching you do the dishes. I can't help it if I have the urge to kiss your neck."

She mocked him in a funny voice, "What am I doing? I'm just standing here watching you . . ." Then she cupped a handful of soap and slung it over her shoulder hitting him on his chin and neck. She turned around and laughed pointing at his soap beard. "Oh how I wish I had a camera. This is a Kodak moment."

"You. . . I'll get you for that." He had her pinned against the cabinet and he took advantage of that fact. He grabbed a handful of soap. "Where do you want it?"

"No way, man, no fair. I can't get away." She was squirming, trying to get away but he had her pinned and wasn't letting her go.

"Who said anything about fair?" He had no intention of slopping any water on her but she didn't know that and he was enjoying the moment.

McCall was trying to talk her way out of a good soaking. "I gotta finish these dishes, okay? Hey let's watch that movie, huh? Where is it? Get the movie, okay?"

"You're not getting off that easily."

She used her best seductive voice and said, "Oh c'mon there must be something I can do to make it up to you."

"Hmmmm I guess I could let you off with a kiss and a promise of more later."

"You got yourself a deal big guy." She answered immediately. She grabbed the dishcloth and washed off his soapy beard.

"Now kiss me." They kissed once and then twice and by the third kiss Hunter's hands had migrated to her backside.

McCall pulled away. "Hey slow down. Let's save something for when we go to bed."

Hunter pouted. "You're such a spoil sport, ya know that? I bet you even want to go to work tomorrow."

"You guessed it. I'm going to work tomorrow and so are you." She said sternly poking him in the chest for emphasis.

"Awww c'mon mommy, I don't wanna go to work tomorrow." He said using a little kid voice.

"Well, little Ricky, you are going to work and you're gonna like it." McCall said in her best motherly voice.

He backed up setting her free. "Okay I need to take a shower anyway."

"Good you do that while I finish up here. And Hunter. . . ."

He turned to look at her.

"Make it a cold shower." She laughed.

"No way, no more cold showers for me, I hope." He said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the bedroom.

When Hunter emerged from the bedroom, McCall was sitting on the couch flipping through the T.V. channels. "Okay now dig out that move you promised me."

"Well I guess you've suffered enough." He got the movie from its hiding place. He tossed it to her and she caught it with both hands.

"_Singin' in the Rain_, I love this movie."

"I know. Do we want wine tonight?" He asked her grinning.

"Ugh, none for me, thanks." Shaking her head.

"Now why not? "You were so cute last night. Cute and very talkative."

"Hunter?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and start the movie."

He put the DVD in the player and hit play. He sat down beside her and she snuggled up under his arm and put the afghan over both of them and leaned her head on his chest. "Guess where I got this afghan."

Hunter had no idea so he said, "Ummm the store?"

"Nope."

"Uh. You made it?"

"Nope."

Hunter knew he'd never guess where she got it. "Okay I give. Where did you get this afghan?"

"Your mom gave it to me."

"My mom?" Hunter asked surprised.

"Yep, your mom. She visited me a couple of times when I lived at the house on Fourth Street. She was so sweet. She was always fishing for information, trying to find out what we were up to and trying to get me to make a move on you. She actually told me that you were shy around women. And then one day she gave me this afghan. Said she made it for me. She called me Ricky's lady."

"She said that? Oh man, that's embarrassing."

"No, I think it's sweet. Apparently she saw what both of us denied. She knew we loved each other. She was trying to make us realize that and get us together. I hope she's happy now."

Hunter missed his mom. He had tears in his eyes just thinking about her. "I wish she could see us now. She'd be so happy."

"I bet she's looking down on us smiling." McCall said.

They watched the movie in silence for awhile. Hunter played with McCall's hair. She was asleep before the movie was over and Hunter turned off the TV and carried her in to bed the second of, he hoped, many, many nights to come.

**Chapter 6**

"Let's shag it McCall, we're gonna be late." Hunter yelled to her. He was pacing back and forth in the living room.

McCall walked in the living room and up to him. "You go ahead. I'll be right behind you. I'm almost ready. I have to get gas in the Explorer before I go in, it's running on fumes."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to let it get that low?"

"Nagging won't get you anywhere, big guy. Now go or we're both gonna be late." She pushed him towards the door.

"Okay, see you at the precinct." Hunter kissed her goodbye and left.

McCall finished getting ready and left a few minutes after Hunter. She stopped at a gas station, filled her tank and went in to pay. While she was in the store, she noticed a gumball machine that had toy rings in it. Looking at those rings made her think of wedding rings. It made her want to marry Hunter immediately and if he didn't ask her soon, very soon, like tonight, she decided she was gonna ask him herself.

Work was agonizingly slow. She was snowed under with paperwork and spent most of the day at her computer. She hardly got to see Hunter at all the entire day. He couldn't even get away to have lunch with her so she ate lunch with Minetti. When 5:30 rolled around, she was ready to leave. Hunter was nowhere to be found so she called him from her cell phone on her way home.

He answered on the third ring, "Hello beautiful, I've missed you."

"I missed you too. Are you coming over tonight?"

"I was planning on it. I have to go home and get some stuff first then I'll be over. Do you want me to pick up something to eat?"

"I don't know. I could cook something."

"Uh don't you think it'd be easier if I just picked up a pizza?"

By the tone of his voice she could tell that he didn't want her to cook. "You don't like my cooking." She tried to sound hurt.

"Hey now. I didn't say that. You said that. I didn't." He said trying to keep her from getting mad.

"You didn't have to. I can tell by the tone of your voice that you'd rather have pizza than something I cook."

He quickly gave in. "Okay, go ahead and cook something."

McCall laughed. "I was teasing you. Pizza is fine."

"For a second there I was afraid I'd made you mad. You'll pay for this tonight, lady. I'm gonna give you that spanking I've always promised you." He said with relief.

"Ohhh I'll be on pins and needles until you get there." She kidded him. "Bye now."

"Bye. Love ya." Said Hunter as he closed his phone.

McCall hung up, a warm glow spreading throughout her body and she raced home. She wanted to have her bath done and be ready when he got there. If he didn't pop the question to her tonight, she was gonna ask him herself. He was not gonna get away from her this time.

Hunter went home and packed a bag of necessities. He ordered the pizza as he was leaving his house. He picked up a bottle of cheap wine in case McCall wanted to get drunk again. He laughed when he thought about her getting drunk Saturday night. She was so cute.

Hunter arrived at McCall's house with the pizza and McCall met him at the door. She had on a tight black dress that accentuated all her curves. His eyes swept up and down her body. "Well look at you. I like it. Are you gonna meet me at the door looking this gorgeous every night?"

"No, only on the special nights."

"So our third night together is a special night?" He questioned her. McCall took the pizza out of his hands and put it on the kitchen table. She took his duffle bag out of his hand and sat it down. She took his hand and led him to the couch. "You didn't answer my question."

"Sit" She said sternly. He did as she instructed. McCall sat down beside him. Hunter didn't know what she was up to but he hoped it was good.

She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. "Rick Hunter, will you marry me?"

He blinked in astonishment and blurted out, "Yes." Then smiled and then leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I was gonna ask you tonight but you just beat me to it."

"No way? You were really gonna ask me to marry you tonight? You're not just saying that because I asked you first are you?"

He was digging in his jacket pocket and brought out a little black box. "Really, I was gonna ask you tonight." He opened the box, held it toward her and said, "McCall McCall will you marry me?"

She sat there stunned, staring at the ring. She had tears in her eyes. "Yes I'll marry you." She said.

"Here let me." He said. He took the ring out of the box and gently put it on her left ring finger. She admired it for a second and then leaned over and kissed him and put her arms around him. They held the embrace for a minute, both enjoying the moment. They parted and McCall was still admiring the ring. "This ring looks old, where'd you get it?"

"It belonged to my mother. She gave it to me, hmmm, I guess around the same time she gave you that afghan. She told me that ring would look nice on your finger. That's only half of it. There's another half that fits nicely into that one for when we get married."

"On my finger? She mentioned my name?"

"No, not your name specifically. But she meant you. I believe her exact words were, "It would look nice on that lady cop's finger, don't you think, Ricky?" "And my mom was right. That ring does look nice on the lady cop's finger." He said with a smile.

"Your mom tried so hard to get us together. Why, oh why did we ignore her? We wasted so much time."

Hunter put his fingers up to her lips to silence her. "No, no, no, no, we are not gonna get all sad, not tonight. What we've done or didn't do in the past, is just that, passed, gone and can't be changed. We need to go forward from here. I need to go forward from here. I don't know about you but I want to be happy and the events of the past few days have made me the happiest man on earth. And also the luckiest." Hunter was smiling from ear to ear.

She pulled his fingers away from her lips and kissed them gently. She looked deep in his eyes while holding his hand. "I'll always regret my inaction in a lot of matters in the past, you know, but you're right. The past is gone and can't be changed. I'm so looking forward to what the future has to offer for us. And I'm the happiest woman on earth and I'm the luckiest too." She was smiling her radiant smile at him and they sat there staring into each other's eyes for a moment. Both thinking of the future, their future, together. McCall broke the silence, "So what do we do now?"

"I guess we eat before the pizza gets cold. I got some wine in case you want any." He had a mischievous glint in his eye.

She popped him gently on the shoulder. "You're not gonna quit with that are you?" She got up and went into the kitchen with Hunter trailing behind her enjoying the view tremendously.

"No, never." He said grinning. "I had a lot of fun that night. It has become a treasured memory."

"I've been wondering something all day." McCall said as she got two plates, handing one to Hunter.

"What's that?" Hunter took the plate and the pizza and went to the living room and put the pizza on the coffee table. 

"After I become Mrs. Hunter, what are you gonna call me?" She sat down on the couch helping herself to a slice.

"I'm gonna call you McCall, just like I always do." He said matter-of-factly. "That is if it's okay with you."

"That's fine with me." She laughed. "So when are we gonna tell everyone at work?"

"I guess tomorrow. The ladies are gonna spot that rock the minute you walk in so we won't be able to hide it."

"Ha ha. What makes you think that?"

"It's a female thing, McCall, trust me. I bet you won't even make it to your desk before one of the ladies zeros in on that ring."

She mocks him, tilting her head side to side, "It's a female thing, McCall. . . ." Then she points at him, "You got yourself a bet buddy. Let's shake on it." She extended her right hand and Hunter shook it. "What do I get when I win?" She asks.

Hunter thought for a moment, "Whatever you want 'cuz you're not gonna win. When I win I want that hot oil massage you never gave me?" 

"Mmmmm hmmmm, when you win huh? Hot oil massage huh? I figured that after all these years one of your little blonde babes would have given you one. . . . or several."

"No I wanted it from you, nobody else. It wouldn't be the same if someone else did it."

"Really?" She smirked at him. They ate in silence for awhile and McCall said, "Back to the subject of getting married. Now we have to plan the wedding. Do you want a big wedding or a small wedding?"

Oh God, thought Hunter. What is it with women and planning weddings? He'd heard so many men talk about how their women go overboard, spending the national debt in doing it. He also knew that she and Roger had a huge event planned for their wedding. He wondered what McCall was gonna want. He didn't want to give a different answer than what she wanted so he tentatively said, "Uh I'd kinda like something small. What do you want?"

"I'm thinking small too. Neither of us has any family left to attend so maybe just a trip to the courthouse is in order. What do you think?"

That certainly was a load off his mind and exactly what he was thinking but was too afraid to say in case she wanted a huge wedding. "That's fine with me. Now the question is when?

"We can do that any time, how about during lunch one day?"

"During lunch one day? People are gonna think this is a shotgun wedding. Are you sure you aren't pregnant?" He kidded her.

McCall had to laugh at that. "Shotgun wedding, huh? Pregnant huh? Ha ha. Hunter I'm too old to get pregnant."

"Oh, yeah, right. Uh, I'm sorry." He stammered, not knowing what to say to that.

"Wait a minute here. You said you were the authority on women's bodies? And you didn't know that at my age I'm past my baby making stage."

"Ummm I knew that. I just forgot how old you are. 'Cause you don't look that old."

"Nice save big guy, very nice. There'll be a reward for you later on tonight." She squeezed his arm for emphasis. "But back to getting married. I want to get married as soon as possible. I'm not letting you get away from me this time around."

That put a smile on Hunter's face. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"That's nice to know, really but the sooner we're hitched, the happier I'll be. I mean it's like we're already married, we just have to make it all nice 'n legal."

"Hey I just told you I'm not going anywhere. I mean it."

"Yeah and I'm gonna make sure of that. Once we're hitched you're stuck with me for the rest of your life, partner."

"It's a deal, partner." Hunter extended his hand and McCall took it and they shook hands again. But he didn't let go this time. He pulled her to him for a long kiss. They parted and finished their pizza. Together they cleaned up the mess and then McCall turned on some romantic music. "Do you wanna dance?"

"With you, any day. Come here my beautiful little chica." He said taking her hand and pulling her towards him gently.

They held each other closely, barely dancing at all. They were kissing and caressing each other and a few minutes of 'dancing' was all either one of them could take. McCall took Hunter by the hand and led him to the bedroom.

**Chapter 7**

"Come on McCall, hurry up or you're gonna be late again." She couldn't believe he'd added again after the word late. She hadn't been late for work in months. His idea of late was only 10 minutes early instead of 15. She was trying her best to ignore him, going about her morning routine. "Ignoring me won't stop the nagging." He said.

Oh man, is he gonna do this every morning? She wondered as she continued ignoring him.

"We can ride in together, there's no need to take your car." Hunter said.

She couldn't believe he'd just said that. "Me taking your name does not turn us into Siamese twins, you know? We are not joined at the hip and I do still know how to drive my own car." She said with irritation clearly evident in her voice.

"We sure are touchy this morning." Hunter said sarcastically. 

"I wouldn't be so touchy if you weren't so pushy." She said back in a snotty tone of voice.

"We've been a couple for, what, four days now? Is this our first fight?" He said laughing.

"Hunter this is not funny. I don't like to be pushed around. I could get ready a lot faster if you weren't hovering over me counting down the seconds before I'm late. I don't need a daddy. It's making me crazy."

"Hey I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hover. I just thought that we could ride in together that's all. You know, carpool."

"Like I said, I can still drive. If you don't wanna be late, then go now."

"Okay. Sheesh. Can I at least have a kiss before I leave?"

"Well if you insist." She kissed him then grabbed him by his tie and pulled him towards the door. "Now go." She said as she shoved him out the door.

McCall arrived at the station exactly on time. She walked in and looked directly at Hunter who was sitting at his desk. He looked at the clock and then back to her and smirked. She walked to her desk while smirking back at him. Then they both busted out laughing.

Captain Gallardo was watching Hunter and McCall's exchange and walked out of his office as they both started laughing. "What is going on with you two?"

"Nothin' Captain." Hunter said leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, smiling.

Captain Gallardo turned to McCall and raised his eyebrows.

McCall responded innocently to the Captain never taking her eyes off of Hunter's, "What's going on?" she parroted him. "I don't know what you're talking about Captain."

The captain threw up his hands and walked back in his office and shut the door. Those two were the weirdest detectives he'd ever worked with. What one didn't come up with the other did. He'd heard stories about how they were when they were when they were with the L.A.P.D. but hearing stories and witnessing it with his own eyes was an entire different ballgame. Working closely with them sometimes made him feel like he was missing something because it was like they had some form of ESP going on. All they had to do was look at each other to know what the other was thinking. They acted like they were always up to something and he could never figure out what it was. They could solve the weirdest, most difficult cases coming up with the silliest of ideas and they would turn out to be right. Those two were weird but it certainly seemed to work for them.

McCall put her purse away, sat at her desk for a full minute shuffling papers around and then got up and walked over to Hunter's desk. She sat down on the edge of his desk, leaned close to him and whispered, "Well big guy, you lost the bet."

"Oh no I didn't, most of the ladies aren't even here yet." He whispered while scouting out the room to see who'd arrived yet.

"No way mister, you're changing the bet to fit your needs." She whispered back.

He shook his head still whispering. "No I'm not."

Still whispering she said, "You are. You bet that I wouldn't even make it to my desk before the ladies spotted my ring. FYI Lieutenant, I not only made it to my desk but I've been here for a full five minutes and not one person has commented on it."

At that moment, Sid walked over and pointed to McCall's ring, "Where in the world did you get that ring on your finger, Sergeant?" You could have heard a pin drop at that moment because the entire room went silent and every head turned and looked in her direction.

Hunter was grinning his lopsided grin looking at McCall who was obviously embarrassed. She whispered, "Sid's not a lady."

McCall smiled at Sid and said, "I'm getting married." Everyone in the room came toward her offering congratulations and looking at her ring.

Sid looked uncomfortable. "Uh who to?"

She thought she'd play with him a little bit. "Well Sid, you're a detective, can't you figure it out?" All eyes were on Sid now.

He looked even more uncomfortable, his eyes darting to Hunter, who was no help at all, and then back to McCall. "Uh, I don't know." He looked at Hunter again.

Hunter couldn't stand it. He took McCall's hand and said, "I'm the lucky guy."

Everyone gathered around the couple and seemed to talk at the same time, giving congratulations, hugging McCall and slapping Hunter on the back. Captain Gallardo looked out his window and couldn't believe his eyes. Every detective in the room was gathered around Hunter's desk and it looked like Hunter and McCall were the center of whatever was going on. He walked to his door, opened it and bellowed, "Hunter, McCall, in my office."

The entire room went silent for a second time. Hunter stood up and looked at McCall and said, "Just like old times, huh?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "It sure is. Except this time we won't get suspended."

Hunter followed her into the Captain's office. He shut the door. "Sit down." They both sat down. "What's going on?"

Hunter gave her a mischievous look, wondering if they should kid the Captain or just tell him. McCall sensed what Hunter wanted to do and said, "There are a lot of things going on, Captain, can you be more specific?" She asked in her most innocent voice.

The Captain saw the look they exchanged. He knew they were up to something. He looked exasperated. These two loved to play games and it drove him nuts sometimes. "I want to know what just went down right out there not thirty seconds ago. Is that more specific?"

"Yeah." Said McCall. "Seems pretty specific to me. Did it seem specific to you?" She said looking to Hunter.

Hunter agreed with her, "Umm that's pretty specific." He grinned at McCall as he picked up her left hand showing the ring to the Captain, "McCall and I decided to get married."

The Captain's irritated demeanor changed immediately. He flashed them a huge smile. "Well I'm glad you two finally decided to tie the knot. It would have made Charlie so happy."

"Charlie!" Hunter and McCall said at the same time.

"You didn't know it but your old captain, Charlie Devane, was a good friend of mine. We had quite a few conversations about the two of you. There were stories about you two flying all over this police department. I used to call him and ask about them and he would fill me in on your escapades."

Hunter looked uncomfortable and said, "Filled you in? That doesn't sound so good, Captain."

McCall looked equally uncomfortable, "Escapades?"

"Don't worry it was all good. Charlie never told me about how many times you two had been suspended or how many times you" he pointed to McCall, "had been reprimanded for letting yourself into rooms illegally without a search warrant. I found that out later when I read your personnel files. Those are quite a read, you two should pick up a copy."

Hunter looked uncomfortable and said, "Umm we lived it Captain, I don't think we need a copy."

McCall laughed at that.

"Charlie only spoke of the way you two worked together, the way you two could communicate with only a look. He talked about you two like you were his kids, not co-workers. He was very fond of the both of you. He would be so proud today. He also said that he thought you two were made for each other but you both were too stubborn to admit it. So you lived in denial until it was too late. He said that after McCall left the force you changed, Hunter. You threw yourself into your work like it was the only thing you had in your life."

Hunter spoke up, "He was right, Captain. After she left, my work was all I had."

McCall had tears in her eyes. Charlie was so right. "I guess we are kinda stubborn."

"Only kind of stubborn? More like stubborn as a couple of mules." The captain said smiling at them. "When's the big day?"

"Well we decided to get married at the courthouse during lunch one day, like tomorrow."

"The courthouse, during lunch?" The Captain said looking from Hunter to McCall with a puzzled look on his face.

"Lookit Captain, it's like this. We just want it to be a non-event. I mean we've known each other for so long that it's almost like we're already married. We just want to make it legal and quick." McCall was nodding her head agreeing with everything Hunter said. "We thought we'd invite everyone for a reception at my" he corrected himself, "at our beach house this Saturday."

"Well if that's what you two want, then do it." The Captain said. "Congratulations to you both. Now get back to work, the honeymoon hasn't started yet."

Hunter and McCall looked at each other when he said that and could hardly contain their laughter as they went for the door, both knowing full well that the honeymoon had already started.

"Wait a second here." The captain said and they both stopped and turned to him. "He nodded to McCall, what am I gonna call you? I can't yell Hunter and Hunter get in here, now can I?"

"Just call me McCall. I've been called McCall since before I became a detective."

"Okay then I'll call you McCall." Said the Captain.

"But McCall isn't my legal last name. I bet neither of you knew that, did you?"

The Captain shook his head. "No."

Hunter was surprised, "McCall is what it says on your driver's license."

"That's right. I got married to Alex Turnin and moved to England. I never had the chance to change my name before I left and when I came back to the states, I just didn't bother to change it. But legally my last name is still Turnin."

Hunter never really liked Alex much and now that he found out her name was still Turnin he wanted that changed as soon as possible. "Well we're gonna change that. Let's get married today."

"Well, okay." She said as she looked at the Captain.

"If that's what you want. Go get married already." He shooed them out the door. "Oh and you can take the rest of the day off if you like."

"Hey thanks, Cap." Said McCall as she shut the door.

**Chapter 8**

After a quick marriage ceremony at the courthouse, Hunter and McCall were driving to the beach house to get it ready for the reception on Saturday.

Hunter was thinking about the events of the past hour. Married. He was married. He couldn't believe it. And to the love of his life no less. Married to the one person who was off limits for so long. He kept stealing glances at her. She was so beautiful and she was his wife. He still couldn't believe it.

McCall was lost in her own thoughts too. She was on her third marriage. No matter what happened, she knew this would be her last marriage. She noticed Hunter kept peeking at her. Finally she asked, "What? Do I have something in my hair? What?" She pulled a mirror out of her purse.

"Uh nothing. Just seeing if you look any different is all."

"Any different than when?" She was getting annoyed.

"Then before you became Mrs. Hunter." He said sheepishly.

She just shook her head and looked him over. "Hmmm do you look any different than before you became Mr. McCall?" She chided him.

"Funny McCall."

"Well what's the difference? Why is it that the woman has to lose her identity just because she gets married?"

"Hey I didn't invent it. Just be thankful that you don't have to go by Mrs. Rick Hunter, like back in our parent's day."

"Ugh, that's awful." She groaned. "It's like the woman becomes an extension of the husband and her identity is lost She doesn't even get to keep her first name."

"Hey what's so awful about my name?" He said in a mock hurt tone.

"There's nothing wrong with your name as long as you keep it. I think On one hand I do like the sound of McCall Hunter. It has a nice ring to it. But, on the other hand, I don't wanna lose my identity. I guess that's something a man will never understand."

"Yeah I guess you're right I'll never understand it. A man lives his entire life with the name he was born with." He got a playful glint in his eyes, "You've been through what, three last names and now you're on a fourth. It must be getting hard to remember exactly what your last name is."

McCall smacked him on the arm. "That's not funny Hunter, not funny at all." She pouted.

"Hey I was kidding, McCall." He reached over and tickled her ribs. "C'mon don't pout."

She was stifling a smile and grabbing at his hand to stop him from tickling her. "Hey that hurts. Sometimes you don't know your own strength."

"Oh did I hurt you? I'm sorry. I'll have to kiss it and make it better as soon as we get there."

McCall rolled her eyes. "We really don't have time for that right now ya know. We have a lot of things to do."

"Oh I get it. Is that how it is now? You've gaffed yourself a husband and now the headaches start?" He said laughing.

"Umm you keep this up and yes the headaches are gonna start big time." She laughed at him while shaking her head. He was impossible.

"McCall it's only Tuesday. The reception is Saturday. We have the rest of today and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday nights to get it all done. I think we can fit a little pleasure in there somewhere don't you?"

She scratched her head and pretended to think for a second. "Hmmm I might be able to pencil you in for a half an hour on Thursday night, that is if I don't get a headache." He shot her an 'I can't believe you said that' look and she grinned back at him.

McCall looked out the window at the ocean. "It's a beautiful day, Hunter. Let's take a walk on the beach."

"What happened to 'we have a lot of things do'?" He said trying to mimic her voice.

"We can take a half an hour to unwind before we get started.

"Well okay, sure just let me change first."

"You got anything here I can wear?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah have I got the outfit for you." He started digging through his chest of drawers and pulled out a very long, red muscle shirt. "Here" he said grinning, "I know it's one of my shirts but it'll be a dress on you. I've been trying to figure out how I could get you in this shirt for years." He said grinning.

McCall gave him a scowl and then her expression changed as she got an idea. "You know it might work. Let me try it on." She took it and went into the bathroom.

"Hey wait a minute. When am I gonna get to see you get dressed?"

"Keep your pants on big guy. Some day I may let you, but that day isn't today."

He changed into shorts and had just finished pulling his tee shirt on when she walked out of the bathroom wearing the muscle shirt. It came down to her knees and had nice cleavage to boot. "Ta daaa." She held her arms out and turned in a circle modeling the shirt for him.

Hunter was impressed. He loved it when he could see her shoulders and arms. "Wow that looks great on you, very sexy and way better than it did on me. It was too tight on me."

"Too tight, huh? I bet it looked great on you then." She said seductively.

"I think it looks much better on you. You fill it out in a couple of ways I couldn't." He was staring at her chest when he said that.

McCall laughed. He was good at sexual innuendos, really good. "C'mon, let's take that walk now." She grabbed his hand and led him down the stairs, out onto the deck and down to the beach. He grabbed a towel on their way out. "What do you need that for?"

"I might go swimming or we might want to sit in the sand and I don't have to tell you that sitting in the sand without a towel is no fun at all. Sand gets in places where it shouldn't be, if you know what I mean." He wagged his eyebrows at her

****************************.

They slowly walked hand in hand down the beach. She loved the feel of the warm sand between her toes and the sun on her face. It felt good. She was very happy. It had been a long time since she'd felt this happy.

Hunter was watching her face. He wondered what she was thinking about. She looked content. He interrupted her thoughts, "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"Just thinking about how happy I am. You're happy too, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. I've dreamed of this day, McCall. You have no idea how long I've dreamed of you being my wife." He squeezed her hand and she squeezed his back. "When does our honeymoon start?"

"Gee whiz, Hunter, is sex all you think about?"

He thought for a second and then grinned at her shaking his head up and down. "Yeah, pretty much."

McCall laughed and stopped walking and pulled him to her and they kissed. "Well I have to admit that I've been thinking about it a lot lately too." She said shyly.

"You have? I'm very impressed, McCall." He kissed her again. "Let's start our honeymoon right here on the beach."

She looked up and down the beach and whispered as if someone was going to hear them. "Hunter it's the middle of the day and this beach isn't exactly private ya know. I don't think it's a good idea."

"Aww come on. Where's your sense of adventure?" He pleaded with her.

"No way, man. If it wasn't broad daylight I might go for it but I can't, not here, not now. Let's go back to your house."

"Our house." He corrected her.

"Okay our house." They walked hand in hand back to the beach house and straight up to the bedroom. They spent all afternoon in bed and didn't get anything done.

Hunter woke up to an empty bed and the sound of the shower going. He was thinking about joining her in the shower when it stopped. McCall came walking out of the bathroom in his bathrobe a few minutes later. "Did I ever tell you that you look good in terry cloth?" He asked her.

"Yeah you just did and you can tell me that as much as you like. You make me feel good. I love you, Mr. Hunter." She said as she slid into bed next to him.

"And I love you, Mrs. Hunter." He took her in his arms and they laid there holding each other. "I could stay here forever." He said.

Then the phone rang. They both groaned. Hunter snatched the phone, clearly annoyed. "Hello." He listened a second and then mouthed to McCall, it's Sid. She could tell by the look on his face that something bad had happened.

"Okay we'll be right there." He hung up the phone and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Get dressed, there's been an accident with a probable abduction on Palm Street. Sid said it's Connie Taylor's car and she's nowhere to be found.

"No, not Connie." McCall said. "She has a husband and a two month old baby.

**Chapter 9**

They arrived at the scene of the accident. Sid and Minetti were talking to witnesses. Hunter motioned to them.

They walked over to Hunter and McCall. "What'cha got?" Hunter asked.

Sid updated them on what he had so far. "This car, registered to Connie and Mike Taylor, was stopped at the red light." He said pointing to the wrecked car. "Multiple witnesses said a blue van came up behind it at a high rate of speed and rear ended it pushing it into the intersection. Then a guy gets out of the van and removes the woman from the car. She appeared to be unconscious. He loads her in his van and leaves."

"Multiple witnesses! How many of them tried to help?" He was instantly angry.

"Uh none, sir." Sid said sheepishly as if it were his fault no one helped the woman.

"None? An abduction goes down in broad daylight and is witnessed by multiple people and not one single person tried to help? God what is this world coming to?" Hunter threw his hands up in exasperation.

McCall put her hand on Hunter's arm, trying to calm him down. "Did you get a description of the guy?" She asked both Sid and Minetti.

"Yeah. He was very tall, over six feet, and muscular, like a body builder, oh and bald." Minetti said. "We've got two witnesses with the sketch artist as we speak."

"Any plates on the van?" McCall asked.

Hunter shot her a 'yeah right' look.

"No plates." Sid said.

Hunter walked over to the car and was watching forensics dust it for prints. Then it hit him. "Hey Sid. How could the van drive away from an accident this bad if it hit the car with it's front end?"

"Witnesses said that there was a roll cage on the front of the van, in front of the grill."

"Ahhh gotcha." Said Hunter. "You know the routine, Sid, I want you and Minetti to keep working this case. Check out every fitness and exercise joint you can find and distribute the picture you get from the sketch artist. If you need any more manpower, just call me, okay?"

"I got it, Lieutenant." Said Sid.

"We're gonna be at Connie's house in case the kidnapper calls with demands."

It was then that Hunter noticed McCall was hanging back and she had a sad look on her face. He walked up to her, "Hey what's wrong?"

"I, uh, you know sometimes I hate this job." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Yeah, me too." Hunter put his arm around her. "Were you and Connie good friends? Did you know her well?"

She nodded her head up and down. "She was my secretary the entire time I worked in Juvie. Yeah I knew her pretty well."

Hunter hated to see her like this. "Now don't go getting all depressed on me, huh? I need my partner to help find Connie. Come on we're going to see Connie's husband. Maybe the kidnapper will call."

They drove to Connie's house in silence. When they got there her husband had just gotten home from work and he was getting out of his car as they drove up. He watched as Hunter and McCall got out of their car. He smiled at them. "Hi Dee Dee. Connie called me earlier today with the good news. She said it was all over the precinct. Did I hear her right? Are congratulations are in order?"

McCall gave him a weak smile and said, "You heard right, Mike. We got married this morning. Thanks." She stammered, "This is Lieutenant, I mean my uh, husband, Lieutenant Rick Hunter. Rick, Mike Thomas."

"Nice to meet you." He extended his hand to Hunter and they shook. It was then that he noted their all business demeanor and it made him suspicious. "Hey this isn't some sort of official police business is it? I paid that parking ticket last month, really." He tried to lighten the mood.

McCall glanced at Hunter, wanting him to take the lead and he understood. "I'm really sorry, but it isn't a social call. Can we go inside Mr. Taylor?"

"Uh sure. Is this about Connie? She's not home yet and she's usually always home before me."

He showed Hunter and McCall into the house. They sat on the couch side by side and Mike sat on the edge of a chair in front of them.

Hunter began. "We're sorry to inform you that you wife has been involved in a car accident."

"Where is she? Is she hurt? What hospital did they take her to?" Mike was frantic for any information.

"She wasn't in the car when it was found. She apparently has been abducted." Hunter said.

"Abducted? What? Why?" Mike stammered, trying to grasp what Hunter was telling him.

"We don't know why. We're hoping that the kidnapper will call with his demands. I hope you don't mind but I called in a team to tap your phone in case that happens. They should be here any minute."

"By all means do whatever it is you need to do to get her back." He put his head in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Don't worry, we're doing everything possible to get her back." The phone team arrived and Hunter met them at the door. McCall sat with Mike trying to comfort him knowing that nothing she said would help him. They stayed all night waiting for a call that never came.

Hunter was tired. He'd been up since 7 a.m. the day before and it was now going on 10 a.m. McCall had been up just as long. "I'm gonna call in for some shift relief, McCall. We're going home."

She was tired, dead tired and for once she didn't argue with him. "Do it." She said.

While Hunter made the call, McCall walked over to Mike. "Mike, why don't you try to get some rest?"

"I can't. Not while she's missing."

"Don't worry, Mike, we've got every available man and woman looking for her. We're gonna find her." She said hoping her lie sounded convincing to Mike because she sure wasn't fooling herself. "Hunter and I are leaving now and there will be two officers here to replace us. You have my home phone number. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay." Mike said.

Dead on their feet tired, they drove to McCall's house in silence, both lost in their thoughts.

"Hey you wanna flip a coin to see who gets to shower first?" Hunter asked, trying but failing to lighten the dreary mood.

"No, you'll just win anyway. You go first." McCall said. "I'll make some sandwiches."

"Are you sure? I love flipping coins to decide things."

"Of course you love it. It's fun when you always win."

"Hey. I don't always win."

"Yes you do. Name one time we flipped and I won. Just one time."

"Hmmmm." He thought for a minute. "You know, McCall you're right. You've never won a coin toss. Sheesh you are really unlucky." He smiled at her, trying in vain to make her laugh, to get her to snap out of the bad mood she was in.

"Or you're just a really good cheater. Go take your shower, Hunter, and don't use all the hot water this time mmmkay?"

"Cheater?"

"Yes you cheat." She pointed towards the bathroom with a stern look on her face. "Shower."

"Alright, already." He turned and went into the bedroom.

She watched him leave the room and began making their lunch. She knew he was trying to cheer her up but she couldn't stop thinking about Mike and Connie. She knew that the odds of finding Connie alive now were close to zero. It was just a matter of time before someone found her body. She finished the sandwiches and was sitting at the kitchen table picking at hers when Hunter emerged from the bedroom wearing sweat pants and nothing else. He sat down across from her. She pushed his plate towards him.

"It looks good, thanks." He said looking at her with concern written all over his face. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked as he started wolfing down his sandwich.

She gave him a sad look and said, "Do you think we'll find Connie alive?"

"I wish I could give you some hope, McCall, I really do. But I think you already know the answer to that question, don't you?" He was looking her directly in the eye.

"Yes I do." She said dropping her eyes to her uneaten sandwich.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No. I'm gonna take a shower now." She threw away her mostly uneaten sandwich, put the plate in the sink and went into the bedroom.

Hunter finished his food and went in the bedroom and sat down on the bed waiting for her to get out of the shower. It was not like McCall to clam up like this and he was worried about her.

The shower felt good and she stayed until the hot water ran out. She got out of the shower, toweled dry and put on one of Hunter's shirts that she'd brought with her from the closet. She didn't bother to dry her hair, she planned on just letting it dry on its own. Hunter was sitting on the bed when she came out of the bathroom. He was staring at her and he looked like a man on a mission. "What?" She asked him.

"I should be asking you that." He said.

"Oh Hunter, I'm in no mood to play games." She sat down at her makeup table, picked up a brush and ran it through her wet hair. Hunter walked up behind her. "Here, let me do that." He said as he took the brush out of her hand, glad that she allowed him to do it. She sat there looking at him in the mirror as he gently brushed her hair.

"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" He asked her again.

She let out a long sigh. He wasn't going to give up. "Connie and I used to tell each other our dating horror stories all the time. I remember when Mike came along and swept her off her feet. They only dated two months before they got married. Then she got pregnant right after that. She was young. She had her entire life ahead of her and she was so happy and now it's all gone. Her son will never know his mother." She got up and walked over to the bed and turned down the covers. Hunter followed her and sat down on the bed and reached over, took her hand and pulled until she was standing face to face with him. "I've got a big shoulder you can cry on, if you need to." He said looking up into her eyes.

He sat and she just stood there looking into his eyes. Hunter broke the silence. "I don't know what to say here, McCall. What do you need me to do? I'll do anything for you, you know that, right?" He squeezed her hands.

"Have you ever looked at someone else's life and been jealous of what they have?"

"I've done that at least two times now, once when Turnin married you and a second time at the engagement party you and Roger gave. I was very jealous both times."

That brought tears to McCall's eyes. "I . . I never knew that." She stammered as she touched his face gently.

"Hey this isn't about me, honey. I've gotten over it. And I have gotten what I've always wanted . . . you. Now please tell me what's bothering you. I don't want any more secrets, okay?"

She took a deep breath and began. "I feel guilty because I was jealous of her and I resented her happiness, Hunter. She had everything that I'd always dreamed of having and now she's probably dead."

"I understand how you could be resentful of her. You've always told me you wanted a husband and a baby. She had that and you didn't. But it's not your fault she's missing you know."

"God I feel so bad for Mike. I felt bad lying to him."

"Lying to him? When did you lie to him?"

"We both lied to him. We told him we were gonna find her even though we know the chances of finding her alive are slim to none." She couldn't hold back the tears any longer and they were running down her face.

Hunter pulled her to him and held her gently "Until we have a body, there is always a chance, McCall, it may be slim but there is that chance."

"I know." She said. "But I still feel guilty for resenting her. I should have been happy for her, but I couldn't. It hurt our friendship and it was totally my fault." She had stopped crying and pulled away from him.

He wiped the tears from her face. "Let's go to bed. We've been up for over 24 hours straight and some sleep is what we both need right now."

McCall nodded and said, "You're right. I can't even think straight any more.

Later that night.

The phone rang and they were both instantly awake. It was a little past 10 p.m. Hunter grabbed the phone, "Yeah?"

It was Minetti and he mouthed her name to McCall. "I'm sorry to wake you up, Lieutenant Hunter. We believe we've found Connie Taylor's body. I think you need to see this for yourself."

"We'll be right there." Hunter hung up. "Minetti says they think they found Connie's body."

"Oh no." McCall said. "What does she mean by think they found her body? Is it her or not?"

"I'm not sure but she said that it's something I need to see for myself. You don't have to go if you don't want to." He gave her the out so she wouldn't feel obligated to go the crime scene.

"I'm going too." She said, already getting out of bed going for her clothes.

**Chapter 10**

At the crime scene Hunter went straight to the body while McCall hung back, not wanting to look. Hunter lifted up the canvas covering the body and he couldn't believe what he saw. An instant hatred for someone who could do this to a person welled up inside him and he had to work hard to control his anger. He stood up and asked Sid, "How do you know this is Connie Taylor? This woman is unrecognizable."

McCall heard what he said and gave Hunter a questioning look.

"We found a purse with Connie's ID beside the body. But we did run a check on her prints to be sure and it's her." He said.

Hunter turned to McCall. "It's bad, she was beaten really bad. Her face is unrecognizable."

"Oh God why would someone want to do this to her?" McCall said with tears in her eyes. "I'll never understand how people can be so cruel. This is gonna kill her husband. And her baby, he'll never know his mother."

The M.E. walked over to them very business-like acknowledging them. "Hunter, McCall."

McCall nodded to him.

"Hi Harry. You got anything yet?" Hunter said.

"This is one of the worst beatings I've ever seen in all my years of doing this. For her to have that much bruising and swelling, this beating had to go on for several hours at the least. I'll know more when I get her on the table."

"Was she sexually assaulted?" Hunter asked.

"It looks like it, yes." The M.E. said.

"Thanks. You'll make her a priority won't you?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah I'll start on her as soon as we get her to the morgue."

"We'll come by tomorrow for your report."

McCall and Hunter walked arm in arm to his car. "We're gonna have to inform her husband ya know?" Hunter said.

"Yeah I know. Let's get it over with." She said dreading what she knew she had to do.

They arrived at Mike's house. Hunter called all the officers there together and told them they could pick up and go home.

Mike came out of the bedroom, saw Hunter and McCall and made a beeline for them. "It's late, what are you two doing here? Did you find Connie? Is she alright?" He said, his face falling as he took in the sad looks on both their faces.

Hunter could see that McCall was nearly in tears and he knew she wouldn't be able to deliver the news so he said, "Mr. Taylor I'm sorry to inform you that your wife has been murdered."

His knees buckled and he was sobbing instantly. Hunter and McCall helped him to the couch. They sat with him until he could talk again. "What happened? How did she die?"

McCall and Hunter exchanged a look, both wondering how much detail they should reveal to him and Hunter said, "She was beaten to death." Hunter spared him any more facts. He'd find the rest out soon enough he figured.

"What? Why? Who could do something like that to her?"

"That's what we're gonna find out." Hunter said.

"You find the bastard that did this to her. Find him before I do." He said between sobs.

"We will, Mr. Taylor. We will." Hunter said with conviction.

"Please go, find who did this." Mike said.

McCall put her hand on his arm and said, "Are you sure? It's no problem. We can stay if you'd like. Is there anyone you want us to call?"

"There's no need for you to stay. Her parents live next door. They're babysitting our son. This is gonna kill them." He was fighting back tears.

"Do you want us to tell them?" Hunter asked.

"No, really, I got it under control. You don't have to stay. Thanks."

On the ride back home Hunter and McCall were silent.

McCall broke the silence, "God I hate doing that."

"I know, me too." Hunter said.

Then they were both lost in their own thoughts, with both of them thinking the same thing.

Hunter wondered if there would be a day when an officer would deliver to him the message he'd just delivered to Mike and McCall was wondering that too, only it would be an officer informing her of Hunter's death. They looked at each other for a second and both said at the same time, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know what I'd do if an officer showed up at my house and told me you'd been killed." Hunter said with tears in his eyes and a huge lump forming in his throat.

"I know what you mean, Hunter, I know what you mean. I've been through it once. I don't think I could live through it again."

"Once, McCall you've been through it twice. Which husband are you forgetting here?" He looked at her puzzled by what she said.

"Nevermind, Hunter. It doesn't matter anyway." She said averting her eyes from his.

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easily." He said knowing she had another secret. He pulled in the driveway and she was out of the car before he put it in park. He followed her in and she made a beeline for the bathroom. Hunter sat on the bed waiting for her to come out. "Hiding in the bathroom isn't gonna make me forget what you said."

She came out of the bathroom, "Gee whiz, Hunter, can't you just let it go?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "No. You're hiding something, McCall and I want to know what it is."

She averted her eyes, looking everywhere but in his. "It's nothing really."

"Okay then." He challenged her. "If it's nothing look me directly in the eye and tell me that it's nothing."

She took a deep breath, looked into his eyes and then away. "I can't do that."

"You can't do that because you'd be lying and I'd know instantly if you were lying because your eyes would tell me. Did I get that right?"

"Of course you got that right."

"I thought we weren't gonna have any more secrets?"

"Oh alright." She caved in. "When Alex was killed in the car accident, we had been separated for three months and I was living in an apartment in London. No one even informed me that he died. I read about Alex's death in the paper a day after it happened."

"You never told me you and Alex had any problems. What was going on, McCall?" He kicked his shoes off and flopped over to his side of the bed and leaned back against the pillows. He motioned for her to join him. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

She joined him in bed and he put his arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. "Yeah. It's stupid really. I don't even know why it matters to me any more."

"If it's upsetting you, then it matters to me too." He held her tighter and rested his chin on her head.

She sighed and began. "Alex and I had been in England for only a few months when I found out he had a girlfriend."

Hunter was instantly angry. "A girlfriend!"

"Yeah a nurse at the hospital he worked at."

"How in the world did you find that out?"

"I guess once a detective, always a detective." She said sheepishly. "I picked up on subtle changes in him. He was acting differently, not wanting to sleep with me, not being affectionate towards me and I just knew there was someone else so I did a little detective work. I followed him to her house and I guessed the rest."

Hunter was perplexed. There had to be something wrong with Turnin to do that to someone as loving and beautiful as McCall. "How could he do this to you?"

"I guess I wasn't good enough for him, I don't know. It made me feel so inadequate and I was so depressed. I confronted him with it and he admitted to it and lied to my face saying that he was sorry and he would never do that again and asked for my forgiveness."

"And you forgave him?" Hunter said knowing what her answer was before she uttered it.

"Uh yeah I did. He then said he wanted us to try for a baby and we did for seven months. Then I went to a fertility specialist and, after running a million tests, they found out that I'm infertile."

"Why, oh why didn't you tell me that?"

"I was so depressed, Hunter. I felt like a failure. Alex acted like he didn't care and then I found out he had another mistress. That's when I moved out. He begged and pleaded with me to come back but I refused to speak to him again."

"You went through all of that alone when I was just a phone call away? Why didn't you call me?"

"I was so depressed, Hunter. I made the biggest mistake of my life by marrying Alex and moving to England. I didn't want to admit that to you. Admit that I was a failure. You know I don't think he ever really loved me. I think it was a game to him. He only wanted me because he knew you wanted me and perhaps he thought I was something he couldn't have. Then when he got me he didn't want me. It made me feel like I was worthless."

"Aww McCall." He stroked her hair lovingly. It hurt him to hear her talk like this. What was wrong with Turnin? How could he have her, the woman of his dreams, and just throw her away like a piece of trash? A tear slid down Hunter's cheek. She saw it and said in astonishment. "Hunter, are you crying?" She wiped the tear from his cheek.

"Yes I am."

"Why?" She asked puzzled by the look on his face.

He touched her chin. "I'm crying for you honey. How could that jerk do that to you? I mean he had you, the greatest, most beautiful woman in the world all to himself and he threw it all away. What the hell was wrong with that man?"

"I always assumed there was something wrong with me." She said sheepishly.

"Hell no, there's nothing wrong with you. I don't want you to say that or even think that there's something wrong with you ever again. You hear me?"

"Yeah I hear ya, big guy."

"Now you believe it, okay?" He hugged her tighter and kissed her cheek.

"If you say so." She said unconvinced by his words.

"McCall I mean it. Turnin discarded you like yesterday's newspaper. Believe me, he had something wrong with him, you didn't and still don't have anything wrong with you. I think you're perfect."

"Oh you're just saying that to make me feel better."

"You're right but it's the truth, lady. I think you're the perfect woman for me. How can I convince you of that?"

"I don't know, Hunter. I think it's me that has to convince myself. I felt worthless after Alex went out on me not once but twice. I felt like maybe I wasn't good enough in bed for him or something."

Hunter actually blushed and he said huskily. "Ummm you're good enough in bed for me."

She kissed him. "Did I tell you that I love you today?"

"Yeah, but you can say that as often as you like. I'll never tire of hearing it."

Hunter lay awake holding her, watching her sleep and wishing that Alex wasn't dead so he could pound some sense into him. And then there was this case. It was affecting him like no other case had. It was hitting home. It made him realize that she was more important to him than his work. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. He turned off the alarm. He planned on letting her sleep as long as he could. He dozed off and was awakened by her stirring. He opened his eyes and McCall was looking at him. "Hunter it's 9:30. We're very late for work. I guess we forgot to set the alarm clock."

"I talked to the Captain while we were at Mike's house last night. We don't have to make an appearance at work until noon. We both needed some sleep."

"I wonder if Sid or Minetti turned anything up on Connie's killer." McCall said.

"Hey let's not talk about that now. Okay?" Hunter said continuing to hold her, stroking her hair.

"What's with you, Hunter?" McCall asked, concerned. "I usually can't pull you away from a case like this."

"Well I've finally got my priorities straight. You're my number one priority now. I'm gonna start delegating more of the work to the other detectives and spend more time with you."

She blinked at him, astonished, while shaking her head as if she didn't hear him correctly. "Wow this is a day I thought would never come. Is it because of our conversation last night or the case we're working on?"

"Actually both. I guess I just needed a good enough reason to pull me away from the job." He hugged her tighter. "And I found it."

"I love you Mr. Hunter."

"And I love you, Mrs. Hunter."

They lay there holding each other for another half hour. Then they both got ready for work.

On the way to the precinct they rode in silence. Finally Hunter said, "Let's swing by the coroner's office and see what Harry has for us."

She nodded. "I hope she wasn't conscious for most of the beating and, uh . . . for the other." She shuddered at the thought of her friend being raped with the memory of her own rape still vivid in her mind after two decades.

"I hope so too. But that's something we'll never know." He reached over and squeezed her hand. He knew the rape cases were always very hard on her.

They arrived at the coroner's office.

"Hey Harry. Did you get her done?" Hunter asked.

"Oh yeah. It's just like I thought. This woman was beaten over a period of several hours and her time of death is roughly 8 or 9 p.m. give or take an hour. Her entire body is covered with bruises and small lacerations where her skin ruptured because she was hit so hard. She has fractures of nearly every major bone in her body. She was raped too. This guy really did a number on her."

"So the cause of death was . . . ?" Hunter asked.

"She died from massive hemorrhaging when her abdominal aorta burst, from a blow to her abdomen."

McCall looked pale and Hunter decided they'd found out all they needed to know. He turned to her. "Let's get to the precinct and see if Sid and Minetti have anything new on our muscle boy."

At the precinct Minetti and Sid had just returned from spending the morning canvassing health clubs, gyms and anywhere a person could go to lift weights.

"Did you two do any good?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah we got a name, John Marshall James. He goes by Marshall. He was accused of rape two years ago but the woman refused to testify against him so he walked. He was convicted of rape back in 1998 and only spent two years in prison and one year on probation. We got his home address." Said Minetti.

"And a bonus. He owns a blue van." Sid said.

"Good work, you two. I want two unmarked cars sitting on that house day and night. When he shows up, nail him."

**Chapter 11**

It was 4:30 on Friday afternoon and McCall was sitting at her desk thinking about their wedding reception tomorrow. It was supposed to be a happy day for her but she was still feeling a little sad. She shook her head and said to herself. Snap out of this McCall. Her phone rang. "McCall." She answered on the first ring.

A man's voice said. "I need to speak to Mrs. Hunter."

"Oh yeah, that's me." She said chuckling to herself because being reminded that she was, indeed, Mrs. Hunter, helped cheer her up and made her feel good.

"This is Southwest Catering. Your food is ready. I was wondering when someone was going to pick it up. We close at 5.

"Oh man I forgot about it. I'm sorry. I'll be right over." She hung up the phone, got up and scanned the room for Hunter. He was nowhere to be found. She knocked on the captain's door. He motioned for her to come in. "Do you know where Hunter is?"

"He left with Sid about a half an hour ago. I don't know where they were going."

"Thanks." McCall said and shut the door.

She scanned the room trying to find someone to go with her to pick up the food and her eyes stopped on Minetti. She had just gotten off surveillance at Marshall's house. McCall walked up to Minetti's desk. "Hey Minetti do you wanna go with me to pick up the food for tomorrow's reception? I really could use the help. Hunter's nowhere to be found and the caterer is gonna close at 5 so we gotta go now."

"Sure Sergeant. Give me a second, and I'll be right with you." Minetti was finishing up what she was doing.

McCall watched Minetti and was marveling at how young she ewas and wondering to herself, 'was I ever that young and pretty?'

"I'm ready." Minetti said as she walked up to McCall. They walked out of the department to McCall's SUV which had a flat tire.

"Oh hello, would you look at that." McCall said pointing to the flat tire. "Just great. We're running late and now this."

"I can change that tire if ya want." Minetti said.

McCall looked exasperated. "I can change it too but we don't have time to change it. Besides it makes guys feel good if they can fix things for you. There are more than enough of them here who can change it and we won't have to get dirty." She looked around the parking lot and her eyes fell on Hunter's car. "Let's take Hunter's car." They got in his car and left. She called Hunter as they were driving out of the lot.

Neither of them noticed the blue van that pulled out behind them.

Hunter answered on the second ring, "Hey didn't I tell you not to call me at work. My old lady's gonna catch us fer sure and she can be a wild woman when she gets mad."

"Funny Hunter, real funny. Maybe you shouldn't do things that make her mad. Huh? You ever thought of that?" She didn't give him a chance for a come back and she continued. "Listen up mister. My car has a flat tire. Do me a favor and have someone change it, would you? Minetti and I are going to the caterer's to pick up the food. I needed a car so I took yours. I hope you didn't need it."

"Did you at least use a key, McCall?" He joked.

"Yes I used a key. I didn't hotwire your car, Hunter." When Minetti heard that, she shot McCall a questioning look and got a sheepish smile in return.

"Well I didn't need it but maybe next time you could tell me you were gonna to take it before you stole it? Hmmm?"

"Stole it, right. You see that's why I didn't call you before I borrowed it. I knew our conversation would be a lengthy one and I'd have never made it to the caterer's before they closed. So see, everything worked out fine, didn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Hunter was lost in this conversation.

"Nevermind I'll see ya later. Love you."

"I love you too, drive careful." Hunter hung up.

Minetti had been watching McCall. She admired her, looked up to her, wanted to be like her. She enjoyed being able to go with her even if they weren't on a case.

McCall caught Minetti looking at her and said, "A penny for your thoughts?"

Minetti looked away. "I, uh, wasn't thinking anything, Sergeant."

McCall laughed. "You weren't thinking anything. That's funny. Come on what were you thinking? You were staring at me, you must have been thinking something."

Minetti remained silent trying to think of something to say. She would feel embarrassed if she told McCall her actual thoughts.

"Let me guess, hmmmm, were you thinking that you'd rather be working on the murder case and not going on this chicken salad run with the lieutenant's wife?" McCall asked smiling.

"Uh, no." Said Minetti who now looked positively uncomfortable.

"I was joking, Minetti. C'mon lighten up will ya? I was joking. Some day I'm gonna teach you how to joke."

"If you say so, Sergeant."

"And stop calling me Sergeant. I've worked here for three years now and you always call me Sergeant. I do have a first and a last name and you can use either one you'd like."

Minetti gave her a questioning look.

"Really you can. Alright just call me McCall like everyone else does. Okay?"

"Umm okay. But how can you joke when your friend was murdered?"

She gave Minetti a serious look and went in to teaching mode. "There are times when you have to distance yourself from the case. This is one of those times. For me joking is a way to relieve the pressure, to lighten the load. I don't mean it to be disrespectful to my friend who died or demean her in any way. People die and life does go on in spite of their death. I hope you can understand what I'm saying. If I wasn't able to do this, I wouldn't be able to continue in this line of work." It was at this moment that she realized that she needed to take some of the advice she'd just given.

"Well that explains a lot of things." Minetti said. "I've always had trouble understanding how you and Lieutenant Hunter could laugh and joke all the time while we were working murder cases. I don't think I can do that."

"You've never, ever seen one of us joke about the person who was murdered, have you?"

"Oh no," Minetti said worried that McCall was taking what she said wrong. "I've never seen anyone treat a DB with more respect than you or Lieutenant Hunter does. That's not what I meant. Sometimes the murders get me down. But it never seems to faze you two. You always take it in stride. Like you can just go on with your lives like nothing happened. You know?"

"Yeah I know." She thought to herself, I've been where you are. "Like I said before, that's when you have to distance yourself from the case. It also helps to have someone to talk to. Do you have anyone to talk to, Cindy?"

She looked uncomfortable at the use of her first name and McCall noticed. "I'll be alright. I don't need anyone to talk to." She looked out the window not wanting McCall to see that she was lying.

Both women were concentrating on their conversation that neither noticed the blue van tailing them.

McCall stopped at a red light, the first one she'd hit red since they left the precinct. She knew Minetti was lying and obviously didn't want to talk about it so she changed the subject. She glanced at her watch. "We're making pretty good time. This is our first red light since we left." Before McCall could say anything else the blue van that had been following them plowed into the rear of Hunter's car. Both front air bags deployed and they were knocked out instantly. A very muscular bald man jumped out of the van and ran to McCall's door, opened it and pulled her out slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried her to the side door of his van dropping her inside not caring if he hurt her or not. He ran back to the passenger side and looked at Minetti and decided to take her too. He'd only planned on taking McCall and he only had one pair of handcuffs so he handcuffed the women together. He jumped in his van and drove off. The entire abduction took 30 seconds and a twofer to boot. He was quite pleased with himself.

**Chapter 12**

Back at the Precinct.

Sid yelled, "Lieutenant Hunter phone."

He picked up the phone. "Hunter."

"Mr. Hunter this is Bob from Southwest Catering. Your wife was supposed to be here to pick up the food you ordered before 5. It's 5:05 and she's still not here. Is she coming?"

"She should have been there by now. Hang on and I'll try her cell phone. Hunter put him on hold and used his cell phone and dialed McCall's number and it went straight to voice mail. That's odd, Hunter thought. It only does that when it's off and she never turns it off. "Uh Bob."

"Yes?"

"I can't reach her. Something's wrong or she would have been there by now. I'll send someone else over there right now. Okay. Thanks."

"Sure thing Mr. Hunter."

Hunter hung up the phone and bellowed, "Sid get over to Southwest Catering and pick up our food. McCall never made it there. I'm gonna keep trying to reach her. Do you have Minetti's cell number? I can't find it."

At that moment Captain Gallardo came out of his office. "Hunter."

Hunter turned to him and after seeing the look on the Captain's face, he knew instantly that something had happened.

"Hunter I have terrible news. A call just came in. Your car was involved in a hit and run accident and apparently it's abandoned."

Hunter didn't wait for the Captain to explain any further. He said only one word, "McCall!" as he sprinted to the elevator. The mechanic had finished changing McCall's flat tire and had just dropped her SUV off the jack when Hunter ran up, jumped in, started it and drove away burning rubber all the way out of the parking lot leaving the mechanic standing there scratching his head.

Hunter was on the radio immediately getting information on the location of the accident. When he arrived at the accident scene, he jumped out of the SUV and shot under the police tape. A couple of beat cops in blues tried to stop him. "No Hunter, this is not your case. You're too close to it. We were told to keep you away from here."

"You're gonna keep me away from here? Right. You and what army?" He plowed past the men.

"Calm down Lieutenant Hunter." Said the officer trailing behind him taking two steps to Hunter's one.

"I am calm!" Hunter said loudly. "This is calm! You wouldn't wanna see me when I'm not calm. Now get away from me." Hunter stopped beside his smashed car looking inside on the driver's side. There was blood on the passenger airbag and he hoped Minetti wasn't hurt too badly. Other than that there wasn't any other indication that they were injured in the crash. Hunter turned to one of the officers who had been trying to stop him and said, "What have you got?"

The officer swallowed hard. Hunter had a crazy look in his eye and it was making him uncomfortable. He stammered. "Well, ah, Lieutenant there were multiple witnesses who said that while this vehicle," he pointed to Hunter's car, "was stopped at a red light a blue van smashed into it. Then a guy got out of the van and took the woman from the driver's side and carried her to his van and then carried the woman from the passenger's side to his van too. He got in the van and left."

All Hunter heard was blue van and visions of Connie Taylor's bruised and battered body assaulted him.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Get as many witnesses as you can to visit the sketch artist as soon as possible. I want a picture of this guy." Even though he knew it would be their muscle man, John Marshall James.

"It's already being done, sir. Witnesses said the guy was huge, bald and looked like a body builder." The officer started edging away from Hunter, eager to be free of him.

Hunter couldn't believe this was happening. They were kidnapped by the same man who brutally killed Connie Taylor.

Captain Gallardo arrived and made a beeline for Hunter waving the officer away from them. "Hunter, can I speak with you for a minute?" Before Hunter could answer the Captain took him by the arm and pulled him away from the wrecked car. "Now damn it, Hunter, you're acting like a mad man. You're scaring the officers working this accident."

Hunter was waiting to hear the old familiar line . . you're off this case, you're too close to it, when his cell phone rang. He looked at it. "This call's from McCall's cell." He said in astonishment. "Try and trace it if you can." The Captain nodded and went to his cruiser. Hunter followed him and answered, "McCall?"

A man's voice said, "Hunter?"

Hunter mouthed to Captain Gallardo that it was their guy. Hunter had hoped to hear McCall's voice and his heart sank to his toes when a man spoke to him. "What have you done with McCall and Minetti?" He demanded.

The man had a thick Spanish accent. He taunted him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You are in no position to ask me any questions. I hold all the cards here. You'd better be civilized toward me or I'll mail freeze dried pieces of your wife to you every week for the rest of your miserable life."

Hunter was taken aback. That accent. He knew that voice. It was familiar yet he couldn't put a finger on it. Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand and closed his eyes. Stay calm, stay calm he told himself. "Lookit, don't hurt either one of them." He pleaded. "You don't wanna know what will happen to you if you hurt them. I mean it. I'll hunt you down no matter how long it takes and when I catch you, and I will catch you, you'll learn what the true meaning of pain is."

Speaking slowly the caller said, "You're so uptight, Hunter. You're mistaken about who is going to learn what real pain is. There isn't anything you can do to my body that would top the pain I've had since you killed someone I loved. Now you are going to feel that same pain. You see Hunter, I have learned that loving someone can be a liability. If it wasn't for your pretty little bride, I would never be able to repay you properly. I have been waiting for you to pick a woman to marry. I have been patient all these years, waiting, watching, hoping you would finally get married. And of all people, you marry her, your old partner! You have made my millennium, Hunter."

"It sounds like it's me you want. Let them go and I'll voluntarily go with you." He knew this madman wouldn't go for the trade but he had to try anyway.

"It is you I want but after looking at your wife, well, I want her too. The next time you see your wife, you will not be able to recognize her." He laughed a wicked laugh that sent chills down Hunter's spine.

"Then let the other one go. You don't need both of them."

"She was a bonus. It was only supposed to be your wife and no one else. But I like her too. I am going to practice on that one before I start on your bride." He continued laughing.

"Let me talk to McCall," Hunter demanded to silence because her captor had hung up. Hunter was racking his brain trying to remember where he'd heard that voice before, but the answer was eluding him. Then he saw Captain Gallardo motioning to him urgently.

"We got the trace, come on. I got a dozen black and whites en route."

**Chapter 13**

McCall woke up with a splitting headache. She felt like she'd been run over by a train. Every muscle in her body was screaming in pain. She was lying on a bed in a room lit by a single light bulb hanging from a wire in the ceiling. She tried to touch her head with her right hand but she realized that she was handcuffed to Minetti who was lying beside her, not moving. She immediately checked Minetti's pulse. She's alive, that's good, McCall thought. Minetti had dried blood coming from her nose. She wondered what her own face looked like because she could taste blood in her mouth. What in the hell happened?

Minetti was coming to and tried to sit up.

"Minetti . . . Cindy are you alright?" She said helping her sit up.

"What? Huh? Where are we?" Minetti asked confused.

"Well apparently we've been kidnapped and we're handcuffed to each other." McCall said holding up her right hand pulling Minetti's left hand with it. "Are you injured anywhere? Are you hurt?" She said with concern in her voice.

Minetti was dabbing at her nose, "My nose must have been bleeding and I hurt all over but I don't think anything's broken."

"Good." Mccall said as she got up off the bed. "C'mon, let's look for a way out of here."

Minetti got up and followed her around, the handcuffs taking away her choice in the matter.

McCall was thinking out loud. "Well let's see here. The walls are concrete, the floor is concrete. The bed appears to be bolted to the floor. There is a small bathroom with a toilet and a sink, thank God. There is one door and it looks like it's steel," She tapped on the door confirming it. Then she tried the doorknob knowing it would be locked, "and of course it's locked. There isn't a thing in this room that I can use to pick that lock with and nothing that we can use as a weapon" and then she looked at the handcuffs encircling their wrists, "except these." She held her hand up pulling Minetti's with it. "We could use this as a garrote if we get a chance. Are you up to that, Cindy?"

"It looks like it's the only plan we've got, Sergeant." Minetti felt that the situation was hopeless and she tried not to sound scared but couldn't help it.

McCall picked up on the fear in her voice immediately. "Hey, all isn't lost here. I know things look bleak right now but I can assure you that the entire department is looking for us and Hunter is tearing this town apart. I've seen it enough to know how Hunter is when a fellow officer is involved." And she thought to herself, especially when that fellow officer is me. "He won't stop looking until he finds us and he will find us. But in the meantime I am not gonna just sit here and wait for something to happen to us. I'm gonna try to escape first. The way I see it our only chance is to garrote this guy and hope that it's only one person and not several. I need your cooperation or it's not gonna work. Now what do you say?"

"Okay garrote is the plan. I got it." Minetti was scared out of her wits and she couldn't understand how McCall could be so calm and cool, so together, so calculating, thinking about a way out of a room that had no way out. How did she do it?

"Did you happen to get a look at who hit us? I didn't see a thing."

"It was a blue van that hit us. I'm sure of it."

"Oh my God, this can't be a coincidence. This has to be the guy that killed Connie." Now McCall understood why Minetti looked so scared and she was just as scared now too.

Then they heard a key in the lock. Minetti grabbed McCall's cuffed hand with hers and they both backed away from the door.

In walked the biggest guy McCall had ever laid eyes on. Even Hunter would have to look up to glare into this guy's eyes. He had a bald head and massive arms. He was so big and his neck so thick that she doubted that she and Minetti could garrote him if they even got the chance. This was the animal that killed Connie. Her heart sank. It was their guy alright. It had to be Marshall. She was never one to use her gun first, but this is one time that she wished she had her gun.

"Hello ladies." He said leering at them.

A sick feeling was forming in the pit of McCall's stomach. Minetti looked as if she was going to throw up. Both women remained silent, staring at him. They continued backing up until they were touching the wall.

"Where are we?" Why are you doing this? McCall demanded.

"Where? You want to know why?" He laughed at her.

"Yes I do. We didn't do anything to you."

"No you didn't but your old man sure did. He killed my boss' brother and well, you're both gonna pay for that."

"What are you talking about?" McCall asked.

"Shut up. My boss is due back soon and I intend to have a little fun before he shows up." He walked up to them and reached out and touched McCall's hair.

McCall jerked her head to the side while knocking his hand away from her. "Stop. Don't touch me. I want you to let us go now."

"You got a big mouth, lady. So demanding. I'll be doing your old man a favor by putting you in your place. He's probably sick of that mouth already."

"You don't want to do this." McCall said. Her eyes pleading with him to no avail. 

"I haven't done anything yet." He said laughing right in her face. She turned her head away from him trying to get away from the stench of his breath.

She continued. "Kidnapping two cops will get you a one way trip to the gas chamber, buddy."

He repeated what she said in a high pitched voice, mocking her, "Kidnapping two cops will get you the gas chamber, buddy." He laughed again. "After I'm done with you two, kidnapping is gonna be the minor charge." He held up a key. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's the key to these cuffs." McCall said holding her hand up dragging Minetti's with it. "Did you suddenly come to your senses and decide to let us go?" She asked sarcastically knowing the answer before he gave it.

He laughed again and reached for the cuffs and unlocked them, releasing McCall's wrist. She immediately went for the gun tucked in the waistband of his pants, but he smacked her arm away as easily as if he was swatting a fly. He then grabbed Minetti's arm and jerked her to him putting his huge arm around her neck. He drug Minetti back a few feet and stopped. Her feet were barely touching the floor and her face showed that she was holding back a sob. He pulled the gun out of his waistband and put it to Minetti's head and she flinched. "That was a stupid move. Now I want you to put on a show for me. Take your pants off." He said to McCall, leering at her.

Well so much for doing something before he does something to us, McCall thought. This is it, this is what she knew was going to happen the second she laid eyes on him. "Hey man, go easy on her. You're hurting her. I'll do what you say. Just don't hurt her."

"Shut up and do it." He said as he cocked the gun he was holding to Minetti's temple.

She removed her pants slowly and dropped them on the floor. She knew what he was going to do to them. Connie's body told her everything she needed to know. She had to buy more time until Hunter could find them.

Minetti couldn't believe what was happening. His arm was so tight on her throat that she was having trouble breathing. Her feet were barely touching the floor and she was clawing at his arm with little effect. She heard him cock the gun and she waited for the bullet. She wondered if she would feel it. She saw the look of disgust on McCall's face when he told her to take her pants off.

"Good, you obey orders well. Now take the top off."

With defiance in her eyes, McCall retorted, "No. Let her go first. Then I'll do whatever you want." McCall continued to stare him down.

"No? No?" He couldn't believe she said no. "You are not in a position to tell me no, lady." He laughed yet again, like it was a game for him. "You need to learn how to obey orders. You say you'll do what I want, but I can see in your eyes that you actually think you can get out of this. You are gonna do what I say. You're both gonna do what I say." He stepped closer to McCall dragging Minetti along and with the hand holding the gun he reached out and used two fingers to rip the front of her shirt open, the buttons bouncing wildly on the floor. "Now take it off." He demanded.

McCall was about to vomit. Oh God, this can't really be happening. She slid what was left of her shirt off her shoulders and dropped it next to her pants. She stood there feeling helpless knowing what he was going to do next. Knowing what he'd done to Connie. And knowing that there was nothing she could do to stop him.

He slung Minetti on the bed like a rag doll, but as soon as she hit the bed she was up and ran to McCall and put her arm around her and faced him. "You're not gonna do this to her."

He put his gun back in the waistband of his pants and laughed at what she said. "You get to watch and then I'm gonna have a command performance with you." At that moment the door opened and in walked someone McCall thought she'd never see again. Minetti noticed the look of recognition on McCall's face.

Marshall looked at him and a scared look crawled across his face. "Uh boss I was just gonna have a little fun."

"I told you to keep an eye on them, not do this. He pulled his gun and pointed it at Marshall. Now get out of here before I decide to shoot you myself. Get out now!" He turned to McCall with a look of disgust on his face, "Get dressed, Sergeant McCall, we're leaving in a few minutes."

McCall hurridly put her pants on. She picked up her shirt and said, "Uh this blouse is ruined."

"I'll get you something to wear." And he left.

"Sergeant do you know that man?"

McCall sighed and she had a look of defeat on her face. "Yes I do."

"Who is it?"

"It's someone I never thought I'd see again."

He returned with a man's shirt and slung it at McCall who caught it and put it on.

"Now move. We're leaving." He said pointing a gun at them. McCall hesitated. "Would you be more willing to do what I say if I let Marshall assist me?" He said scowling at her.

**Chapter 14**

Captain Gallardo and Hunter arrived at the house a few minutes after several black and whites got there. The place was swarming with cops. Hunter and the Captain both jumped out of the car, guns drawn.

An officer met them as they were about to enter the house. "Captain, Lieutenant. The place is empty. We found Sergeant McCall's cell phone on the table. It's being dusted for prints right now. But there is something you have to see. Follow me." He led them through the house down the stairs to a room in the basement. "This is apparently where they were being held."

Hunter put his gun away. He glanced around the room and then his eyes fell on the discarded blouse on the floor. He picked up the blouse noting that all the buttons were gone and that it had to have been ripped off of her. He caught the scent of her perfume still evident on the fabric. His heart went out to her and he was filled with sadness and then rage. "McCall was wearing this blouse." He said. All eyes in the room were focused on him.

The Captain walked over to Hunter. "I know it looks bad, Hunter, but he didn't kill them or they would be here. That means they're still alive. We still have time."

Hunter just stood there holding the blouse knowing that McCall had most likely been raped. Then it hit him. Raped…He knew instantly where he'd heard that voice before. It was a voice from the past. . . . Carlos Mariano. Hunter turned to the Captain. "It's Carlos Mariano."

"What are you talking about, Hunter?"

"Carlos Mariano is the person who has McCall and Cindy."

"I thought our guy's name was John Marshall James?" Said the Captain.

"The guy who kidnapped them is named John Marshall James, but he's working for a guy named Carlos Mariano. Mariano is the guy who called me from McCall's cell phone."

"How do you know this Mariano?"

"It's a long story, Captain."

"You can give me the condensed version on the way back to the precinct, Hunter. You know we don't have a lot of time here." The men headed for the car.

Hunter sighed. "It began back in 1985 when Carlos' brother, Raul raped and killed a woman at the Curuguayan Consulate in L.A. McCall and I worked that case. McCall interrogated Raul and he tried to make a date with her and she turned him down. He showed up at her house a couple days later, beat her up and raped her. I punched him out for that and later on that day he shot me. To make a long story short, I ended up killing him in self defense. The next year Raul's brother, Carlos, comes to town and tells me he's gonna kill me because I killed his brother. I ended up shooting his gun out of his hand and he was deported. I never thought I'd see him again. I should have sent him home in a pine box." And I'm going to do it properly this time Hunter thought to himself but didn't say out loud.

"So now we're looking for two guys."

"That's right, Captain. I'm guessing Marshall is the heavy, only there to do the dirty work, and Carlos is running the show."

They had been at the precinct for ten hours with no word, no new leads, no idea where the women were being held. Hunter didn't know if he could take much more of this but he truly didn't know what else to do. They had every available man staked out at Marshall's house and he hadn't been seen yet.

McCall didn't know how long they'd been locked in the new room but she was hungry and thirsty. This room didn't even have a bathroom. Minetti was sitting on the bed. She had filled Minetti in on how she knew Carlos Mariano. Minetti had a look of disbelief on her face when she told her that she'd been raped. Like she didn't believe her.

They both turned toward the door when they heard a key in the lock waiting with dread to see who appeared. It was Carlos with a tray of food. "So you're gonna feed us before you kill us?" McCall asked, her voice dripping with contempt.

Minetti couldn't believe she said that.

Carlos scowled at her. "I do not see why he married you. There are plenty of pretty faces out there who know their proper place, who do not talk back, who do what they're told."

She interrupted him. "Yeah they're called slaves and last time I checked slavery is illegal."

"Call it what you want, Sergeant McCall, but the fact remains that you're more trouble than you're worth." He sat the tray on the table. "Maybe I should let you go a little while longer without food."

"After all these years, Carlos, why are you doing this now?"

"Because Hunter killed my brother and I loved my brother. I have been waiting for him to marry so I could take someone he loved from him. So I could make him feel the pain that I have felt all these years."

"Your brother raped and killed a woman at the consulate. He then beat me and raped me. Hell, he shot Hunter. Why won't you believe me?" McCall asked throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"I do not believe you, Sergeant McCall. Women lie all the time. My brother was not like that. He was a kind man. He told me that you invited him to your bed and I believe him."

McCall was angry. Angrier than she'd been in a long time. She got right in Carlos' face yelling. "A kind man? He lied to you, Carlos. He showed up uninvited to my house. I did not invite him there. I didn't want him there. I told him to leave. He wouldn't. I said no and he wouldn't take no for an answer. If I invited him to my bed, then why did he beat me up? Is that the only way the men in your family can get any, Carlos, by beating the woman into submission and taking it?"

Carlos backhanded her across the mouth. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about."

Minetti winced when he hit her. She stood up by her and put her hand on McCall's shoulder. McCall was not backing down from Carlos. She refused to show him any weakness. She was holding her left hand to her face and she could feel her lip swelling. "That answers my question. You are just as big a pig as your brother. You are gonna pay for this, Carlos. Do you think Hunter is gonna let you get by with this?"

Carlos laughed. "I have already gotten by with it." He turned and left and McCall sank down in a chair. Her legs no longer able to hold her.

"Your lip looks bad, Sergeant. I wish I had some ice for it."

"At least that's all he's done so far. I bet Hunter is going crazy trying to find us." McCall said sadly. "I know how he is. He won't eat, he won't sleep, he won't stop until he collapses."

Hunter was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. The lack of action was making him crazy. He was imagining all sorts of things happening to both McCall and Minetti. He knew that it was only a matter of time before one of their battered bodies was found by someone and reported. Then his cell phone rang and he jumped. He opened it and this call was coming from Minetti's cell phone. Before he answered it he got up and opened the Captain's door. "This call is coming from Minetti's phone. Let's see if we can trace it too." He answered, "Alright Mariano, where are they?"

With a happy tone Carlos said, "Ahhh so you remember me. I'm impressed."

"Well don't be. You've had your fun now let them go."

"No way. You will not recognize your wife when you see her again. Then you will know the pain I've felt all these years. You see, Hunter. It's a very simple concept. You take something I love from me. I take something you love from you."

An eye for an eye, huh? Hunter said with contempt. 

"Yeah but it's not fair because both of their lives are not worth half of what Raul's was worth." He spat out the words. "No woman is."

"Your brother was a pig. Do you hear me Mariano? He was lower than a pig. He was a rapist and a murderer and he deserved exactly what he got. McCall certainly didn't deserve to be beaten and raped by him. I did the world a favor when I killed him and I'm gonna do it another favor when I kill you."

"That's the same broken record that I keep hearing from your wife, Hunter. You'd think that after all these years you two could come up with something new."

"If you hurt either one of them, I'm gonna kill you, Carlos. Letting you live is a mistake I won't repeat.

Carlos only laughed.

Hunter continued, "What happened to the code of honor that you live by?"

"I live by a new code, Hunter. An eye for an eye." He laughed and hung up the phone.

"Did you get the trace?" Hunter asked the Captain.

"Yeah we did. Let's go."

**Chapter 15**

The Captain and Hunter arrived at the house right after the black and whites. Like before, this house was empty too with Minetti's phone on the table. "This guy is playing with us" The Captain said.

Hours later Hunter was in the Captain's office talking to him when Sid knocked and came in. We lifted both Carlos Mariano and Marshall's prints not only off of the cell phones but everywhere in both houses. McCall and Minetti's prints were there too.

"You were right, Hunter." Said Captain Gallardo.

Being right didn't make Hunter feel any better. He was going stir crazy. They had no new leads to go on and they weren't any closer to finding McCall and Minetti. He went back to his desk and called one of the officers staking out Marshall's house. "Any movement there?" He asked.

"It's dead here." Said the officer.

Hunter winced at the term dead. "Thanks. Call me the second he shows up, okay?"

"You got it, Lieutenant."

Hunter was on edge, snapping at everyone and Captain Gallardo had heard and seen enough. "Hunter, in my office." Hunter walked into his office and glared at him. "You've got to stop biting off everybody's head. Remember it's not their fault McCall was kidnapped. They're only trying to help, trying to do their jobs. If they're having to walk on eggshells around you, then you are hindering the investigation and not helping. Do you understand?"

"Yes but Captain. . . " The captain cut him off. "No buts here, Hunter. I want you to go home, eat something, take a shower, get some sleep and cool off. And only come back when you've cooled off."

"I hear what you're saying Captain, but I don't need . . " The Captain cut him off again. "That wasn't a suggestion, Lieutenant. It was an order. Now get out of here." Hunter glared at the Captain for another ten seconds and then turned and left slamming the door behind him.

He got in McCall's SUV and drove around, thinking, trying to clear his head. He knew the captain was right. He was so angry, so full of rage, so scared that he wasn't gonna see McCall alive again that he couldn't think straight. They had eight detectives staking out Marshall's house, their only lead, and so far that wasn't getting them anywhere. He didn't know what to do. He found himself sitting in the driveway of McCall's house. He finally went inside. It was so empty without her. So quiet. He went in the bedroom and laid down on the bed. He prayed that she was alright. He hoped that she would be able to forgive him for not protecting her. He was asleep in minutes.

He started to dream. He was in a warehouse. It was almost too dark to see. He could hear McCall calling out for help. He couldn't find her. Her cries got weaker and then they stopped. Then he saw Raul standing over her dead body. Hunter woke up suddenly. He was breathing hard and sweating badly. He told himself it was only a dream, snap out of it. He looked at the clock. It was nearly 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He got into the shower and realized it was Saturday, the day they were supposed to have their wedding reception. He had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang. Hunter grabbed it. "Hunter."

"Hunter we believe we've found McCall." Said Captain Gallardo. 

He could tell by the Captain's voice that he meant McCall's body. Hunter was speechless. The first thing that came to his mind was that both Carlos and Marshall were dead men.

Hearing only silence, the Captain checked to see if his cell had dropped the call and he asked, "Hunter. Are you still there?"

He could barely speak with the lump in his throat. "Where is she, Captain?"

"Stay there, Hunter. I'll pick you up in a minute. I'm almost to your house now."

Hunter got dressed in record time and was standing on the curb when the Captain drove up. Hunter got in. "Where is she?" Hunter said in a monotone voice.

"She was found in the park. We're going there now." The Captain said.

Hunter just nodded.

The Captain had never seen Hunter like this. He was eerily silent and the look on his face was downright scary.

They arrived at the scene and Hunter leaped out of the car before it stopped and went directly for the throng of police officers surrounding the body. A few moved to try to stop him but after they got a look at his face, they moved out of his way. "I want everyone out of here! You hear me? Get away from her." Everyone scattered and left Hunter alone with the body. He walked up to the body and kneeled down on one knee. He took a deep breath, put his hand on the tarp and got up the courage to look under it. He lifted it slowly to reveal the hair. His heart sank. It was the right color. He closed his eyes and thought to himself. 'Oh my God, McCall it can't be you.' Then he opened his eyes and slowly lifted the tarp a little farther to reveal the face which was unrecognizable. She was beaten just as badly as Connie Taylor. He put his hand over his mouth. She had the right color hair and was about the right size. Mariano's voice echoed in his head, "You won't recognize her when you see her again." He stood up and walked up to the officer closest to him. "You, how do you know it's McCall?" He demanded.

The officer was clearly afraid of Hunter and the Captain intervened. "ID found in the purse left beside the body is Dee Dee McCall's."

"That doesn't mean it's her."

"She's got the right color hair and is about the same height and weight as McCall." Captain Gallardo said.

"I don't think it's her." He said. "That description matches a million women in California."

"Why don't you think it's her?" The Captain asked.

"Because if she were dead I'd feel it."

"We'll need to get fingerprints then." Said Captain Gallardo just to appease Hunter because he certainly believed it was her.

Harry walked up hearing what the Captain said. "That's gonna be a problem. The pads of her fingers were burned off. We won't be able to lift any prints."

Hunter looked mortified. "Burned off? Okay then dental records. But I'm telling you it's not her." The other officers were giving Hunter looks of pity and it was really pissing him off. "Get out of here, all of you." He said gesturing to them as they scattered.

Hunter stayed and watched as the morgue personnel put the body in a body bag and lifted it onto a gurney and were rolling it to the wagon.

Captain Gallardo remained with Hunter, standing a few steps behind him. He knew that McCall's death would hit him hard but he never thought he would take it this hard. He was refusing to believe it was her.

Hunter couldn't get the sight of the woman's battered face out of his head. It's not her he kept thinking over and over again. He would know if she was dead. He would somehow feel it. Then he remembered something. Just as they were about to close the wagon's back door he said. "Hey wait a second. Let me look at her again."

The Captain stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Hunter please don't do this to yourself."

"McCall had surgery on the back of her neck to remove a bullet. She has a scar there. Now let me look." He pulled his arm out of the Captain's grip. He unzipped the body bag and gently turned her head to the side looking at the back of the woman's neck praying that he wouldn't find a scar. There was no scar. "No scar." He let out a huge sigh of relief. "It's not her."

"Are you sure, Hunter?" Captain Gallardo said.

"It's not her. I'm sure."

**Chapter 16**

The Captain and Hunter had just gotten to the precinct when Sid came in. "Marshall showed up at his house, picked up some things and left again. All units are tailing him."

"Thank you, Sid." Hunter said as he grabbed his coat. "Let's roll on it."

Carlos had moved McCall and Cindy to yet another house. They were locked in another room. "You know the drill, Cindy, let's comb this place and see if there's anything we can use as a weapon."

She and Minetti were going over the room. After a few minutes of futile searching Minetti looked dejected and plopped down on the bed and said sarcastically, "I made a big find."

"What?" Said McCall hopefully.

"You're gonna love this weapon." She held up a large paperclip.

McCall's eyes got huge. "Gimme that." She said as she jerked it out of Minetti's hand.

Minetti was startled. "Just take it why don't you?"

"I might be able to open the door with that." McCall straightened out the paperclip and wiggled it in two. She went to the door and put both ends in it and worked it around. Then she pulled them out and turned the knob. Minetti held her breath. She had heard stories about McCall's lock picking abilities, but she never believed them until now. The door opened and they were free. "I can't believe it." Minetti said.

McCall put her finger to her lips. "Shhhh, we don't want to alert anyone."

They were in the basement with stairs going up with a door at the top. McCall and Minetti tip toes up to the top of the stairs and stopped at the door listening. Hearing water running, McCall opened the door a crack and peeked out. It opened into the kitchen. Carlos was standing across the room with his back to them running water in the sink. On the table lay the gun Carlos had been waving around earlier. He was only one step away from the gun and she was at least three steps away. She quietly tip toed toward the table and grabbed the gun just as Carlos realized he wasn't alone, turned and went for it too. He grabbed her arm and the gun and she pulled the trigger and it was over. Carlos had a look of pure astonishment on his face as he clutched at the bleeding wound in his chest, then he fell to the floor. McCall ran around the table and checked his pulse. She looked at Minetti and shook her head. "He won't be bothering us any more."

Then they heard a vehicle in the driveway. Minetti looked out the window. "Oh God, Marshall's here."

McCall held up the gun. "I'd say we're on even terms now and besides he's got one comin' from me."

As soon as Marshall got out of the van, he was surrounded by cops in seconds with Hunter in front. "Freeze, police." Hunter yelled as he pointed his gun at him. For a second he looked like he was gonna go for his gun and Hunter hoped that he would.

"Go for it. Give me a reason to blow you away. Go for it." Marshall backed down and Hunter taunted him, "You're chicken. Yeah I thought so. You can only be a man when you're hurting women who weigh a third of what you do. You make me sick. Get him outta here." He gestured to the officers. Now let's find Mariano. He turned toward the house and saw McCall and Minetti walking out. He ran to McCall and picked her up and twirled her around. "You're alive. You're alright." He had tears of joy streaming down his face.

McCall was a little embarrassed. The place was crawling with uniforms and they were all staring at them. "Uh Hunter we've established that I'm alive. You can put me down now."

He put her down and she wiped the tears off his face. He said, "Mariano?"

McCall held up the gun. "He won't bother us again."

He touched her lip where Mariano had hit her. "Did Marshall do this to you?" He asked, anger clearly evident in his voice.

"Carlos did it." She said.

Hunter hugged her tight and whispered in her ear. "I found your blouse. Did he rape you?" His voice wavering, full of emotion.

She pulled back and saw the fear and compassion in his eyes and for a second it took her back to when she had been raped. "No he didn't. Marshall was going to, but Carlos actually stopped him if you can believe that one."

Relief washed over his face and he smiled. "I'm so glad you're alright." He realized that he'd completely forgotten that McCall wasn't the only one kidnapped. He looked around. "He didn't hurt Minetti did he?"

"No, she was really scared though."

"And you?"

"Ah well I wasn't scared one bit." She lied, deliberately averting her eyes from his.

Hunter put his finger under her chin and lifted it until their eyes met. "Not one eenie, weenie, bit, huh?"

She rolled her eyes and said. "Okay, fine, yeah I was terrified. I knew we had Connie's killer and I figured he was gonna do to us what he did to her."

"Well you two weren't the only ones who were scared. I was afraid that I'd never see you alive again. We found another DB. The woman was unrecognizable, but had your hair color and was approximately your height and weight. I'm guessing Carlos expected me to think it was you."

"Did you think it was me?" She asked searching his face for the answer.

"Until we got 100% confirmation I refused to believe it was you. Then I remembered when you got shot in the neck. Do you remember that?"

"Heck yeah I remember that. I thought I'd never walk again. That was quite an ordeal."

"The DB didn't have that scar. But I knew it wasn't you even before I checked."

"How did you know?"

"If you had died, I think I would have felt it, somehow, felt it in some way that I can't explain. I would just know."

"I think I know exactly what you mean, big guy." They stood there hugging. She no longer cared that most of the police department was milling around, still watching them.

Sid and Captain Gallardo were talking to Minetti. All three kept glancing at Hunter and McCall.

"Your lip is huge and you're due for a shower, but other than that it doesn't look like they hurt you. Are you alright?" Sid asked kidding her not wanting her to know how scared he'd been for her.

She rolled her eyes at him and said. "I wasn't exactly being held at the Ritz, ya know. I didn't get a chance to bathe. I'm alright, though. Thanks for your concern."

The Captain smiled. He, too was glad she was alright and McCall, except for the fat lip, looked fine too.

How did you two get out of that room in the basement? What? Did Mariano forget to lock the door?" Sid asked kidding Minetti.

"Yeah how did you two get out of a locked room?" Captain Gallardo asked her although he knew the answer because he knew picking locks was McCall's specialty.

"You are not gonna believe this. I found a paperclip on the floor and she used it to pick the lock."

"No way!" Sid looked at McCall clearly impressed. "So she can pick locks. You don't think the other stories that we've heard about them could be true, do you?"

"I don't know but I tried that door myself, before she picked the lock, and it was locked."

The Captain laughed. "Why don't you two just ask them about some of the stories? I'm sure they would be more than happy to fill you in."

Both Minetti and Sid looked uncomfortable. They looked at each other and Sid said, "Uh Captain, we couldn't do that."

"Why not? They're human just like the rest of us. You two aren't intimidated by them are you?"

"Uh no." said Minetti looking even more uncomfortable. Sid just shook his head but looked equally uncomfortable.

McCall looked over to Minetti who was talking to Captain Gallardo and Sid. "Let's check on her. I want to make sure she's alright." They walked hand in hand over to the three of them.

"Hey everyone." McCall said cheerily.

"Are you alright, Sergeant McCall?" Asked Sid.

"Yeah Sid, except for this fat lip, I'm fine." She smiled as much as her swollen lip would let her.

Captain Gallardo was glad everything turned out the way it did. "Okay everyone, the reunion is over. Let's get back to the station. We've got a prisoner that needs interrogating and plenty of paperwork to do."

**Chapter 17**

At the station Marshall was in the interrogation room. Captain Gallardo, Hunter, McCall, Sid and Minetti were all in the room next to it looking at him through the one way glass. Hunter and the Captain were having a disagreement.

"I think I should be the one to talk to him first, Captain." Hunter said.

"No Hunter, I think it should be me that goes first and you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near him." Captain Gallardo glared at him and Hunter was holding his ground.

Hunter and McCall shared a look and the Captain picked up on it immediately. He was up to something.

Hunter pulled a quarter out of his jeans pocket. "Okay Captain, let's flip for it."

McCall turned her head stifling a laugh.

Sid and Minetti were watching the exchange wondering what exactly was going on between Hunter and McCall.

"Okay, Hunter, we'll flip for it. Winner goes first and if I win I don't want any argument from you, got it?"

"Oh yeah I got it. Call it." Hunter said as he flipped the coin in the air and caught it slapping it on the back of his hand.

"Tails." Said the Captain.

Hunter lifted his hand to reveal heads. "Heads, I win." He smiled and left the room.

Captain Gallardo had a 'what just happened' look on his face and he turned to McCall who was trying her best to keep from smiling, but her eyes were giving her away. He felt like he'd just been swindled. "Out with it, McCall." He barked.

"It's like this, Captain. Hunter loves to flip for things. You see, he never loses."

"Oh come on. It's a 50/50 chance. How can he never lose?"

"Trust me on this, Captain. I have never, ever won a coin toss against him. To my knowledge, no one has. Charlie once told me that he cheats. But even when I used my own quarter and I flipped he still won. I've never been able to figure it out myself."

Sid and Minetti exchanged a look. Sid whispered to her, "Maybe we should ask them about the stories?"

"Yeah." She said.

They all turned to watch as Hunter entered the room with Marshall. He sat a tape recorder down on the table and hit record.

"Mr. John Marshall James, have you been informed of your rights?" Hunter planned on doing this one by the book. This scum wasn't gonna walk because he let his anger get in the way of what he knew he had to do.

"Yeah I have, so what?" Marshall said sarcastically.

"Do you want to call a lawyer to sit in on this interview?"

"I don't need no lawyer."

"So you're telling me that you're refusing to have a lawyer present during this interview?"

"Yeah I hate lawyers. I don't want one here."

This guy was making it too easy. Hunter towered over him. "Did you kill Connie Taylor?"

"Yeah so what?"

Geez a confession and he didn't even get to beat him over the head or anything. "Did you kidnap Dee Dee McCall and Cindy Minetti?"

"Yeah you know that."

"Did you kill another woman and dump her body in the park?"

"Yeah she looked kinda like your wife. Carlos wanted you to think it was her."

"Who was that woman?" 

"A hooker I picked up.

"You got a name?"

"I don't know her name."

This guy was a real genius. Hunter thought. "Did Carlos Mariano tell you to do it?"

"Yeah. But I enjoyed it."

"Why did you kill Connie Taylor?"

"You just don't get it do you, cop?" He asked giving Hunter a wicked smile.

Hunter had to control the urge to shove his fist down his throat. "Get what, Johnnie?"

"I've been keeping tabs on you for years and sending reports back to Carlos."

Hunter was astounded but he didn't show any emotion.

"Carlos wanted to know when you got married. I've been keeping an eye on you since you lived in L.A. When you moved to San Diego, I started following your lady friend too. I saw that cute little coworker of hers and I liked her so much I took her out on a little date and she wasn't very . . . . cooperative. I had to use a little persuasion to get her to do what I wanted. But your wife, she was very cooperative. She loved it. Said I was the best she'd ever had." He laughed.

Hunter was clenching his fists glaring at Marshall when Captain Gallardo opened the door and said. "Hunter, we need you out here."

Hunter hit stop on the recorder, picked it up and left.

McCall took Hunter by the hand and pulled him away from the captain. "You did great in there. I thought for a second you were gonna punch his ticket but you didn't. I'm proud of you."

"Fifteen years ago you'd be pulling me off of him after what he said."

"Yeah but that was fifteen years ago. You've changed a lot since then and I like it." She said. "Let's get some coffee."

In the meantime Sid and Minetti were going over Marshall's finances. "Hey Hunter, McCall." Sid said. "Take a look at this."

They walked over to Sid's desk. "What are we looking at, Sid?" Asked Hunter.

"This is his bank account.

"You're joking, right? There's over two million dollars here." He looked at McCall. "I guess he has been on Carlos' payroll for the past 20 years."

"There is one thing I don't get." Minetti said. "If he has all this money, why doesn't he have a high priced lawyer in there with him right now?"

"Don't ya just love dumb killers? He has a bank account we'd all die for and he refuses a lawyer." Hunter said laughing causing all of them to laugh too.

Captain Gallardo walked up and said. "He's signed his own death warrant. He's singing like a canary. The D.A. is all over this. She can't wait for this one to get to trial. You all did a great job. It's late and I think all of you should be getting home."

"They all agreed, said their goodbyes and prepared to leave."

Hunter and McCall were walking together past the desks. Hunter stopped and said, "I forgot to tell the Captain something, you go ahead and I'll catch up to you."

"Okay, but don't be too long." She watched as he disappeared into the Captain's office.

**Chapter 18**

A black & white dropped Hunter and McCall off at their house. It was Sunday morning. They ate, showered and fell into bed, exhausted.

Hunter woke up first and lay there watching her sleep. He was thinking about the events of the last 24 hours.

McCall woke up and saw Hunter looking at her. "Hi Mr. Hunter." She said.

"Hi, Mrs. Hunter." He smiled at her while sitting up and putting a pillow behind his back. She sat up and put her pillow next to his and scooted close to him. He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that in silence for a few minutes until Hunter said. "When I realized that it was Marshall that kidnapped you two, I was going out of my mind worrying about you."

"I knew you would. I told Minetti that you would tear this town apart looking for us and I was right."

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, McCall. I really don't know."

She looked at him, he looked like he was about to cry. She tried to cheer him up by joking. "I bet you'd have me replaced by a little blonde bombshell within the month."

"I'm being serious here and you crack a joke." He had a hurt look on his face. He got up out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Well you blew that one, McCall, she thought to herself. When he came out of the bathroom, she was waiting for him. She took him by the hand and led him back to the bed. He laid down on the bed, not looking at her. He was obviously very upset.

She sat cross legged on the bed facing him. "Rick look at me." He finally looked at her. "I'm sorry. Okay? Please forgive me." She handed him a tissue. "I'm here if you still wanna talk about it."

He took it from her. "How many murder cases have we worked where we had to tell the DBs spouse that they'd been killed?"

"More than I can count." She said sadly.

"We always say the same empty words to them. I'm so sorry for your loss, it's a tragedy, she was such a great person, how could this happen, yada, yada, yada."

"Come here. " She said as she laid back on the bed pulling him to her. She put her arm around him and he put his head on her shoulder and continued. "People were saying those things to me after you were kidnapped. They talked about you in the past tense, like you were already dead." He was crying now.

She hugged him tighter. "I'm sure they thought they were helping you." She had only seen him cry like this one other time, the day of his mother's funeral. He stopped immediately when she walked into the room and saw him. She tried to comfort him then but he wouldn't have it. This time he was coming to her for comfort and it made her love him even more. "It's alright. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." She ran her fingers through his hair. He cried a little while longer and they ended up falling asleep.

Hunter kissed her on the cheek. "Hey wake up sleepyhead." She opened her eyes. "I ordered a pizza. You've gotta be starving."

"You always know what I need, don't you?"

"Yeah but this time I could hear your stomach growling in the other room."

She laughed and hit him gently on the arm. "How long have you been up?"

"About an hour or so."

"Do you feel better?" She asked him, her eyes scanning his face for the answer.

"Yeah I do. I understand the value of a good cry now. I think I've gotten in touch with my feminine side." He joked.

"Just as long as you don't get too feminine." She kidded him, glad he was out of his weepy mood.

The doorbell rang. "Food." He said.

She got up and joined him in the kitchen. Hunter had papers laid out all over the table. He had to stack them up to make room for the pizza. They both started eating.

"What's all this?" She asked motioning to the papers.

"I've been going over my finances."

"And?"

"I believe I've got enough money saved that we can retire from the force."

"Retire?" She had a look of pure amazement on her face. "That's not a word I thought I'd ever hear coming out of your mouth."

"Yes retire. I've been a cop for 35 years. I can retire now if I want and you can too. We can live off of my pension and what I've got saved and if we get in a bind we can always sell one of the houses."

She looked at him skeptically, "You sure you've only been up an hour? It looks like you've been working on this for awhile."

He smiled at her. "Actually I've been thinking about this ever since we got married."

"Oh that long, huh" She laughed.

"That ordeal with Mariano made me realize how lucky we both are. Lucky that we're still alive after everything we've been through. Either one of us could have been killed a hundred different times but we weren't. This time it was the last straw. I don't wanna go through that again. I can't go through that again. I don't wanna take another chance, McCall. I want to spend time with you."

She was really surprised. "What would we do?"

"Anything. I don't care. As long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do. We couldn't just up and fly to Paris or anything like that. I'm not rolling in dough here but I'm sure we could find things to do with our time." He was hoping she'd see his point and agree with him. His eyes were pleading with her.

She picked up another piece of pizza and started to eat it and just looked at him.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say about this?"

"No". She said.

"No? No is all you have to say?" He sat his pizza down and put his head in his hands. He'd hoped she would go along with him. He never thought about how he'd feel if she didn't want to retire.

She walked over and picked her purse up off the couch. She walked back to the table, sat down and took out two items. She tossed them over to him. "There's something you need to look at."

He picked them up. "Two savings account books." He looked at her puzzled.

"Open them up and look, okay?" She said smiling as best she could until her swollen lip protested.

He opened up one of the savings account books. A look of astonishment swept over his face when he read the balance. He gave her a questioning look and then picked up the other one and looked at it too.

"I was gonna tell you about those when we decided to get married. But everything happened so quickly that I never got the chance and I had forgotten about it until you brought up finances a few minutes ago."

He looked at the dates on the books and held one up. "This is Roger's money." He held the other one up. "And this one is Alex's money." He was looking to her for an explanation.

"Neither Roger nor Alex had any living relatives. When Alex died, we were still married. I was very angry at him and didn't want his money so I donated everything to a children's charity in England. But he had a huge life insurance policy naming me as the benefactor that I didn't know about. It took that company two years to find me and give me the money. Believe me, Hunter. I was as shocked as you are right now." She continued. "Roger didn't have any living relatives either. He had already changed his will adding me to it. It specified that half his estate go to me and the other half to various charities."

"You mean this chunk of change is only half of Roger's money? Wheew he was worth a mint, huh?"

"Yeah he was rolling in it, you could say."

"My God, McCall, you've been sitting on this kind of cash for years. Why in the world would you continue to work?"

"After Roger died, I decided I was gonna quit the force and travel around the globe. I had a lot of fun traveling around Europe when I lived in England and traveling is something I really like doing. But before I could give my notice a handsome lieutenant transferred down here from L.A. and I decided to stay on to see if I could get his attention." She gave him a sly smile.

"No, way. You didn't keep working because of me, did you?"

"Yes I did. You gave me a reason to get up in the morning, Rick Hunter. Every day I went to work hoping you were wearing those tight jeans you got on right now."

"You like these jeans, huh?" He stood up modeling them for her.

"Yes I do. But I like them better when they're on the bedroom floor, if you get my drift." She said in a sexy tone.

"Oh I got it alright." He said taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

Monday morning dawned and McCall woke up and realized they were late for work. She nudged Hunter awake. "Hey big guy, we're late for work."

"What?" He said wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"We gotta get going now. We're late for work." She said jumping out of bed and going for the bathroom.

He was still in bed when she got out of the bathroom. "Hunter, get up." She said clearly annoyed at him. But he only smiled at her.

"We don't have to go in today."

"What?"

"I forgot to tell you, but I asked the Captain if we could have this week off and he agreed."

"Well it's nice of you to mention that to me now." She plopped back down beside him in bed. "I guess we're gonna spend this week in bed?"

"Sounds good to me. I consider it our honeymoon without spending a ton of money to travel to some place we won't even see because we're spending the entire time in bed." He said giving her that lopsided smile that she loved so much.

"I'm hungry. Are we gonna go out and eat or are you making breakfast?"

"Before I make breakfast I need to hear your thoughts on retirement."

"Oh alright. I guess I've made you wait long enough." She said grinning at him. "Hunter I'll do anything you want. If you want to retire, I retire. If you decide to stay on the force another 10 years, I stay on the force another 10 years. You're stuck with me sir." She kissed him lightly on the lips.

He pulled her to him. Breakfast was just gonna have to wait.

**Chapter 19**

A week after their abduction everyone was gathered at Hunter's beach house for the wedding reception. They had already given the Captain their resignations and word had spread like wildfire that they were leaving the force. People were acting like it was the end of an era and their old nicknames, The Headhunter and The Brass Cupcake was actually written on a cake someone brought.

McCall was mingling with everyone when she noticed that Minetti was sitting off to herself on the deck. She was lost in thought and seemed to be a million miles away. McCall walked up and sat down beside her. "Hey, how're you doing?"

"Fine." Minetti didn't sound fine to McCall.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" McCall asked, concerned about her. She could tell that Minetti was upset about something.

Minetti's eyes darted around looking at all the people she worked with. "Yeah but not in front of everyone here."

"We can talk upstairs to the bedroom if you want."

Minetti thought for a second. "Sure."

She followed McCall into the house and up the stairs to the bedroom. McCall shut the door and sat down on the bed patting the spot beside her indicating that she should sit down. "There, now we'll have some privacy." Minetti just sat there with a drawn look on her face so McCall said, "I'm really glad you weren't hurt last week. When Marshall had that gun on you, I was afraid he was gonna pull the trigger. I'd have done anything to stop him."

"I'm glad he didn't hurt you too and I'm glad he didn't have a chance to um. . . uh. . ." Minetti let the sentence trail off, not wanting to say the word.

"Rape me?" McCall finished the sentence for her. Minetti shook her head yes. McCall continued, "I'm glad he didn't do it too. But if he had, I would have lived through it. I refuse to let something like that wreck my life. It's happened to me before and, while it was hard to deal with, I made it and I think I came out a stronger person."

"How were you able to get over it?"

"My best friend in the whole wide world helped me get through it." McCall said smiling.

"Really? Do I know her?"

"Uh uuh. It's a he, not she."

Minetti looked puzzled. "A he?"

"I got to see the real Rick Hunter during my recovery and I liked what I saw."

"Lieutenant Hunter helped you through it?" She asked with disbelief showing all over her face.

"Yep. I don't know how I'd have made it through if he wasn't there for me. He was so kind, so caring, so compassionate. There are no words I can use to explain how much he helped me."

"Wow, that's not something I expected to hear."

"He doesn't show that side of himself at work. But I assure you, he is all of that and more." She smiled.

"You two have been through a lot together, haven't you?"

"We sure have. And we're about to start some new adventures, hopefully less dangerous ones."

"You're so strong, Sergeant. How do you do it?"

"Cindy, like I said before you don't have to call me Sergeant. My name's Dee Dee McCall. You can use either my first name or my last name if you like." She smiled at her. "But I'm not as strong as you think I am. I'm not emotionless either. I cried half the night after we got away from Mariano."

Minetti looked astonished at her revelation. "But you don't show it. You always look like you're in control. After Mariano hit you, you still stood up to him. If that were me, I'd have been hysterical. I couldn't have looked him in the eye, challenging him like you did. And when Marshall was making you get undressed you were so calm, so strong. You impressed me."

"You mean you couldn't tell that I was about to throw up?"

"No I couldn't." She was taken aback by that comment. "You looked like you were in complete control."

"I knew what Marshall intended to do to me and then to you and just thinking about it made me sick. I was saying anything I could to buy us some time. After I saw the size of that guy, I knew that there was nothing either of us could do to stop him. So I tried to keep him talking as long as I could. That was my plan, to stall him and hope we'd be found before he killed us."

"Weren't you scared?"

"Oh yeah. I was scared out of my mind." McCall reassured her.

"I've never been in a situation as hopeless as that and I couldn't tell if you were scared or not and I felt inadequate because I was so scared."

"You are not inadequate. It's okay to feel that way. And no matter what any of the guys tell you, when they get in a situation like that they're all just as scared as we were. I've learned to control it. You see, Cindy, when I started out on the force, there weren't a lot of female police officers. Everything was different. The guys all looked at me like I was a sex object and they expected me to break down and cry as soon as I got in a sticky situation. I wasn't about to prove them right so I worked very hard at controlling my emotions, to distance myself from the situation. I had to or they would never have accepted me as an officer."

"So if I cry about it now, it's okay?" She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah it's okay." She put her arm around Minetti and held her as she cried. "Get it all out. You'll feel better after talking about it and a good cry. Believe me, I know all about that."

"I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. I thought we were gonna die." Minetti had tears running down her face.

McCall handed her a tissue. "I thought we were gonna die too. You did fine. It's okay. It's alright." She said holding her as she cried.

Hunter walked in and Minetti sat up quickly wiping her eyes trying to act as if she hadn't been crying. "Hey McCall I missed you at the party." He took in the scene before him looking at Minetti who had obviously been crying and at McCall who was playing the mother hen. "Umm is there anything I can do here?" He asked, concerned.

Minetti was averting her eyes, looking everywhere but at Hunter.

"Cindy thinks that she's the only cop who gets scared in a situation like we were in last week. She thought that I wasn't scared at all." McCall said to Hunter.

Hunter sat down beside McCall and looked at Minetti. "Being scared is part of this job. You wouldn't be human if you didn't get scared. I couldn't believe the size of the guy who abducted you two. I was scared when I saw him and I had a gun trained on the man. I can only imagine how you two felt."

Minetti turned to Hunter. "You were scared too?"

"Every time I pull my gun I'm scared. It never changes. You learn to control it. You learn to put it in another place and save the breakdown for later. McCall is good at saving the breakdown for later. She cried for an hour the night after we got Marshall and Mariano." He kidded nudging McCall playfully with his arm.

McCall smacked his arm. "Thanks big guy for revealing my secrets. But you forgot to mention that you cried too."

"Uh, McCall, you weren't supposed to tell that part." Hunter said quietly, still smiling at her.

Their kidding made Minetti laugh. "Hey thanks guys for taking the time to talk with me."

"Any time. You got our numbers. Call if you need to talk and I mean that." McCall told her.

Minetti continued. "I really look up to you two and I admire you both. In fact I want to be just like you Ser. . ., uh McCall."

"Well thanks." Said McCall.

"Yeah thanks but are you sure you want to be just like her? Maybe you should be just like me." Hunter said smiling as McCall nudged him playfully and said. "Oh no, that's out of the question. California couldn't handle two Rick Hunters."

That cracked Hunter up. "Now let's get back to the party and have some fun. What do you two say?"

"Yeah I'm starving." Said McCall.

"Okay." Said Minetti laughing at their banter. "But I need to fix my face first. I'm probably a mess."

"Yeah you are." Said Hunter and McCall hit him again.

"Don't mind him. The bathroom is right there." Said McCall as she pointed to the bathroom door.

After Minetti closed the bathroom door, Hunter took McCall in his arms and kissed her forehead. "You know she reminds me so much of another young detective I knew about 22 years ago."

McCall rested her head on his chest. "Hmmmm who would that be?"

"You're a smart detective. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. But let me give you a hint. She was tough as brass to the outside world but sweet on the inside and not that bad to look at either. . . . The Brass Cupcake."

McCall laughed. "I'll never lose that nickname, will I?"

"Not as long as I'm here to remember it you won't."

Oh one more thing.

They lived happily ever after!

Now that's how the show should have ended.


End file.
